Why Us You Stupid Plushy?
by Leda-Sky
Summary: Co-written with xxBittersweet Melancholyxx. Muffin and Melody were just fighting over a plush toy at the new museum!But suddenly they are transferred to Naruto's world and are captured by Oro-gay-sama. Stay with them as they torture the Naruto world!R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**OK, so this story is epicfully written by the two most awesometastic writers the world has ever seen. Myself and xxBittersweet Melancholyxx. We rock at writing, so please read the following awesomely epic story. **

**I promise you it wont be a disappointment! And if it is... well.... you get a virtual cookie as an apology.**

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CHAPTER ONE

The truckers hauled the wooden crates onto the unloading dock. The museum janitors quickly, grumbling about unfair morning hours, signed the papers on their clip boards and waved them off. The truckers rolled their eyes, dropped off the last crate and quickly closed the hauling truck. They drove off and the janitors started to push the crates into the museum.

There, they started to open them up and send things off to their rightful places. One janitor, Mike, was pulling some Aztec ruins out of a crate when he came across a small rainbow dinosaur plushy. Mike stared at the plushy with confusion. "What the hell?" he muttered, looking for the tag. There was none. Rolling his eyes he called out to the other janitor which was delivering the items to their rightful place. "Jimmy! I have another gift shop item! Those stupid truckers placed it in Aztec ruins! I swear…." he grumbled.

Jimmy came over, grabbing the plush animal and laughing. "It's not nice to swear, Mike." he teased. Mike, being the old janitor he was, glared at the younger and more lenient janitor.

"Jimmy, don't you mock me. I'm your superior! Show me the respect I deserve." he growled. Jimmy held up his hands in a surrender pose.

"I wasn't mocking you, Mike. Jeesh, sorry." he said and walked back over to the gift shop. He placed the rainbow colored brontosaurus with the other dinosaur plush toys. Though, rainbow was a new color for the plush toys. They were usually just one solid color. Like brown or purple. Jimmy shrugged, not really caring and walked out.

Little did he know that the plushy was one of the most prized positions of the Aztecs and had not been misplaced….

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Melody's Pov

'Museum of Age Old History' the huge letters read on the white concrete building. I sighed and walked in with my classroom. Oh, how I hated history. All history was to me was what had happened in the past. How did that concern me? If it was the past, it was over and done. I though it was a boring repeat. And yet… I always got an A in that class.

A week ago our teacher, Miss Person, had excitedly introduced us to the idea of going to this new museum. Two days later the field trip permission forums went out and my parents signed. Most of the class had been going, except my best friend who'd eased her way out of going. All she'd done was say she didn't want to go and her parents had given the ok for her not going. I rolled my eyes at this.

Oh, how I hated her for this. She was probably laughing at the thought of my suffering. Sighing, I followed my classmates into the building. I got stuck with Honey Rimsfield for my partner. Perfect, I'm stuck with the overly positive, super hyper, always smiling, happy go lucky girl who loves her history as much as any other class. Don't get me wrong, sometimes she's pretty great! But right now, I just wanted to bang my head on the wall because of her none stop chatter.

"Ohmigod! Look at those dinosaur bones! Do you think they are real or just plaster? Well, it doesn't matter, they are just sooooo cool! And so educational. Bones actually can teach us a lot. About the structure of their bodies and all. Did-"

"Honey! Please, let's just get this over with." I snapped, glaring at the stupid worksheet Miss Person had handed out. With a cheesy grin, I might add. She thought museums were fun. I would rather go to an anime convention or an art studio. I loved anime and art. My favorite anime was Naruto. That blonde idiot always made me laugh.

Honey nodded, her mouth shutting momentarily. Only about 5.7 seconds later she was jabbering about the World War Two and how devastating it had been. I took a deep breath. This is going to be a long day… I thought miserably.

I headed towards another section, Honey scribbling everything down in her notebook, pushing her small square glassed up the bridge of her nose. Her honey colored blonde hair was as curly as ever, her bangs almost reaching her brows. If I knew Honey, she would trim those bangs back a little. I wished I was that lucky with my hair. The best I could do was a ponytail. My light brown hair with red highlights was too thick to do much of anything. And it took forever to blow dry. So when I took showers before school I usually ended up going to school with a wet head.

Sighing, I quickly filled out the sheet by memory. I knew most of this stuff anyways, so I didn't need to scavenge for the info. I ended up just wandering around, Honey trailing a little far behind. I looked up at the ceiling, wondering what Sam, my friend, was doing. Just as I thought that, my cell phone vibrated in my pocket and I squeaked from surprise.

A few people glanced at me in annoyance, including Honey, and I mouthed a sorry. I picked my LG Zeon out of my pocket and flipped the keyboard out. I'd gotten a text message… from Sam. Wow, was she like psychic? Sometimes I found myself wondering about that.

I opened the text and read the message:

**_lol, hows the tortur?_**

I rolled my eyes, stood against the wall and thumbed in my answer.

_It sux. Wat u duin?_

I clicked send and started to wander again, having lost Honey apparently. Ah, I'd find her eventually. I walked down and found a bench. I sprawled out on it, laying on my back. The bench was made of wood, so it wasn't too bad to rest on. Not like those concrete ones. Once I'd fallen asleep on one and had a pain in my neck for three hours after I woke up!

My phone buzzed and I opened the text.

**_Oh… not mch. Just watchin Naruto._**

My jaw dropped and I gritted my teeth. This was sooooo unfair! I loved that show! She didn't find it so appealing, though she watched it with me. Throwing in witty comments now and then. Sometimes, she was even funny about it. Like one time when Naruto had been looking for a foe, turning all around looking and Sam had gone all: "He's above you, dumbass."

And the foe had been above him. Still Naruto had conquered and all had been well. Naruto always won, no matter what. Even if Kyuubi the Nine Tailed Fox Demon King helped him sometimes. I thought it was nice. Then again, I'd always been an obsessed individual when it came to Naruto Uzumaki. I hate being called a fangirl, so I made up that word so I'd feel better.

I quickly thumbed in my answer.

_Go choke on wood, Sam.  
Lol.. I luv u!_

I grinned and hit send. She'd probably laugh at that. I got up and quickly ran, thinking I saw Honey's hair in the crowd. I got to the girl I thought was Honey. "Honey, can we-" I stopped as the girl turned. She had golden brown hair, up close it was much darker than Honey's. Her eyes were a dark brown and looking at me widely.

"Who's Honey? Like, honey the bee honey? That goes good on toast." she told me. I quirked a smile.

"Nah, Honey is my partner. Sorry for the trouble. Maybe she'll be in the gift shop…." I mumbled, biting my lip. She'd probably copied all she could in her notebook and had headed to the shop to buy rocks for her collection. Honey was a proud rock collector. The girl grinned.

"Oh! I'm going there too! Can I join you?" she asked. I shrugged.

"Sure. I'm Melody. You can call me Mel." I said, offering her a hand. She took it with a grin.

"I'm Muffin!" she introduced. I gave her a look and started to ask,

"Mu-"

"Yes, Muffin." she snapped and then smiled again. "So Mel, are you here on a school field trip too?" she asked. I nodded, stuffing my hands in my black cargos.

"Yeah, my teacher thought this would be fun educational trip. I don't know. I knew most the things on the worksheet already. Besides, this museum doesn't have any art… or anime." I muttered distastefully. Muffin's eyes went wide again.

"You like anime too!?" she asked, getting excited. I nodded eagerly, my own excitement growing. "What's your favorite show?" she asked, her side bang falling into her face. She tucked it back out of her face. I grinned.

"I love Naruto!" I said, putting emphasis on love. She grinned wider.

"I love it too!!!" she said, practically bouncing up and down from a sugar rush. I grinned too, slightly shaking my head.

"I think you just became my new best friend!" I said, putting a hand over my heart dramatically. She laughed as we entered the gift shop.

"Do you see Honey?" Muffin asked. I shook my head, looking around.

"Nope." I said, popping the p in nope. I started wandering around the gift shop. That's when I saw the cutest thing ever. A rainbow dinosaur. I rushed over to it. "OMG! I love it!" I squealed, hugging it to my chest. "Muffin! Come look!" I called. She rushed over.

Taking one look at the rainbow dino I saw the adoration in her eyes. "It's so cute!!!" she said and tried to grab it from me. I pulled back.

"It's mine!" I said. She pouted.

"I want it! …Do you have money to buy it?" she asked. I stopped there. I hadn't brought anything… not even a dime. I was broke from the five hundred dollars I was saving up. Oh, well shit. I wish Sam had been here. She'd lend me the money!

"Uh…Well, you see…" I stammered. Muffin grinned triumphantly and grabbed the dino's back legs and tried to pull it from me. I kept a firm grip on it's forelegs. "It's still mine! I'll just go all clepto, that's all." I said, pulling the rainbow dino back towards me. Muffin pulled it back towards herself.

"Mel, Fiona don't want to go with you! Besides, at least I have money to buy her!" she argued. I stopped and gave her a look.

"Fiona?" I asked incredulously. Muffin nodded vigorously, her brown eyes glowing.

"That's her name." she stated. I thought about it for a second.

"Fiona the rainbow brontosaurus. It fits." I agreed. Muffin grinned and her muscles relaxed. I took this moment to pull once again. That's when the strange thing happened.

There seemed to be a soft snap in the air, and the smell of fruit wafted around us. I looked around to see if anyone else was sniffing the sweet smell but they were looking fuzzy. Going out of focus. Actually, everything was doing that. Then, I felt like I was falling. Until finally I felt myself fall onto my but of cold wet earth. "Ouch!" I yelped.

I shook my head, rubbed my eyes and wondered if I'd fallen on the ground of the Gift Shop. But then, the ground would be that ceramic stuff not moist earth. I opened my eyes and looked around. We were surrounded by… forest? I jumped to my feet. "Oh no! Where the hell are we?" I yelled, beginning to get a little frightened.

I looked around, turning in quick circles. I stopped when I saw a familiar sight. "Muffin, is that you?" I asked. She looked up, rubbing her head with an annoyed look on her face. Then she saw the surroundings and gasped.

"It's me…" she whispered, still staring at the surroundings. "Where are we?" she asked, tilting her head and looking a little freaked out. I shrugged.

"Well, I didn't know you were undereducated, Muffin. We are in a forest. A forest consists of many trees and-" I started sarcastically.

"I know we are in a forest!" she snapped. "But why are we in a forest? What's this forest called? Who? What? Why? WHERE!?!?" she asked, slumping. I sighed.

"I have no clue. But maybe we should try our cell phones. Let's call the police or something'." I said, taking out my phone. But it wasn't my beautiful Zeon I held in my hand… it was a walkie talky! "NOOOOOoooo!" I screamed, falling to my knees and cradling my poor phone. Muffin came over.

"Whatwhatwhat?" she asked in a rush. I held up my poor tortured phone/walkie talky.

"It transformed." I whimpered, wiping a fake tear. She rolled her brown eyes. I got up, tucking the phone/walkie talkie back into my pocket. "OK, so that didn't work…" I muttered. Muffin shook her head.

"No it did not. OK, so let's think about-" she was stopped short by a kunai whooshing only inches from her face and thudding into a tree. She shrieked and jumped back. I looked in the direction of where the kunai had come from. Suddenly four people came out of the bushes, glaring at us.

My mouth dropped open and I heard Muffin shout incredulously-

"NINJAS?!?!?"

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**BWA HA HA HA! What a wonderful cliffhanger, no? I think so. -nods matter of factly-**

**So, please review and tell us what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**OK, so here is the second chapter!!!! Thank you mysticalwater for reviewing!**

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Muffin-chan's POV:

"-NINJAS?!?!"

"You two there! State your business!" Said one of the very mean ninja guys. Well he isn't mean, but he's rude. And rude is same thing as mean. Because being mean is rude.. I feel like having toast. Toast is good. Its very warm and toasty,and wait- They all are staring at me and my awesome hand gestures…. Must respond, or else they think I'm mean or emo of the sort and I'm not emo because I don't get blood on the carpet.

"Um... I like pie?"

"…. Stop playing games and state your business!"Said another one with a neon-looking orange color for her hair. Boy, does she have a short temper. Maybe she hasn't had her coffee yet? Or maybe her sugar. I could totally relate with that.

I rolled my eyes.

"I heard you the first time, and you call yourself a ninja! Psh, I bet you only joined to get the awesome fishnet clothing! Not that I mind, I'd do the same.."

"Don't insult them!" hissed Melody. Suddenly we felt a very radiatively dark ghostly aura in front of us. We sweat dropped at the ninja that we talked to moments before, who was now crying anime tears. His friends itched away from the scene.

"But its true. I only joined for the fishnet clothing."Fazed by the seemingly disturbing tense air, Melody was twitching as I was feeling bad for the mean ninja guy.

"Awwww! You poor ninja person!" I gave the mean ninja guy a hug,much to Melody's dismay. Hey, if he wanted a hug he can have one. He just had to ask…

"…Cant we keep him?"I asked Melody with the puppy dog look, still clinging to the mean ninja guy who was seemingly content right now.

"You cant be serious Muffin! He's-"

"Muffin-chan."I corrected. She looked at me a bit oddly, but shrugged it off.

"Muffin-chan you cant be serious! He might be a serial killer for all we know!" she continued.

"Does this look like the face of a killer? …Wait, on second thought, yes it does. But, does this look like the awesome face of a killer?" I pointed to my own puppy dog face, with sparkles and all- Wait,I can do that? …Awesome!

"Muffin-chan, no. He should stay with his own group."

"But its not fair!"

"Life's not always fair."She said, dead toned. I sighed in defeat, before turning to the said ninjas... to see them all gone and have disappeared. How did they do that?! Well, they are ninjas after all. I bet ninjas like pop tarts… Why wouldn't they like pop tarts? Duh! I frowned at the empty space, before I called out,"Billy? Billlllly?" I turned back to Melody, pouting. "Look what you did,you scared him away!"

"…Billy?" she asked, incredulous.

I nodded happily. "It reminds me of pancakes!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! Because Billy is a ninja,and so is Sasuke. And Sasuke is emo. And emo people like emo pancakes. Thus Billy was born!"I said holding out a random plate of pancakes,as showers of sparkles came crashing down causing the poor unsuspecting girl to squeak and jump into the bushes from the mentally scarring sparkles of epic doom…

"That's true. Sasuke is pretty emo. I bet he eats emo pancakes for breakfast every day. Wait- where did you get those pancakes?!" she asked, pointing to my pancakes. I shrugged.

"I just wanted pancakes and I got them."

"…Wait... That's not fair! I want pancakes too!" she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So? Its obvious the pancakes like me more." I rubbed the plate to my head to emphasize the obvious point. Duh, of coarse my pancakes would love me more. Melody twitched and pouted, throwing herself back onto the ground. "Eh, Melody?"

"What?" She growled with a dark deadly aura of doom. _She must really like pancakes,eh?_ I thought, itching away slowly. I waited for the tense atmosphere to go away, but it never did. Then I realized something. Taking in a deep breath, I decided to risk my awesome pancakes in sake of the question:

"..Where's the plushie?"

Melody blinked, surprised by the sudden question. She looked around. "Didn't you have it?" she asked.

I shook my head slowly before frowning. "I thought you had it…" I told her. Melody sighed in annoyance. Rubbing the back of my head sheepishly, I shrugged. Melody groaned in frustration.

"First I'm sent to the musuem, tortured by my classmate, fought over a plushie, got transported to some forest before getting threatened by random ninja people, my poor baby Zeon phone got deformed and now the plushie is gone! Story of my life!" she yelled, angry.

"…Wait, go back." I told her warily.

"My phone got deformed? Yeah, you saw it just-"

"-No,I mean before that. About the plushie…"

"We fought over the plushie,and we got transported…" I nodded slowly,as her eyes widened in realization. "Dammit!" she swore loudly.

"Eh,what do we do now?"

"I think the ninja headed north. Let's head in that direction too. Man, he looked so familiar…"

"Well, duh. Ninjas always wear awesome ninja stuff, its like ninja common sense. Duh!" I exclaimed. Melody sweat dropped before shaking her head.

"Come on,lets just follow the path."

"Eh,what path?"

"…uh..." she said, looking around wildly for a path.

Suddenly we felt a very creepy aura behind us. Melody looked at me and her eyes widened, her mouth dropping open a little. The aura wasn't like anything familiar to me, seeing as the vibes were giving off the type of aura that said 'I like to browse pictures of little boys all day'. Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I squeaked in surprise. I turned around to see… A guy that looked too much like Micheal Jackson…just with a snake complex. Huh, I wonder if he likes rainbows. Everybody knows snakes like rainbows, duh.

"Ah! Voldemort and Snape's love child that never happened!" I waved my hands frantically, earning a strange look from the snake complex guy. Melody facepalmed herself, but giggled.

"Whosssssss Ssssssnape and Voldemortttttttt?" I felt chills go down my spine, as both Melody and I twitched at the same time.

"…Who are you?" Melody had to ask. Well, he's obviously Voldemort's and Snape's lovechild. Duh! I just said that! …Unless if he doesn't like rainbows. Then he's just a pedafile freak. Yeah, lets go with that.

"….Do you like rainbows? And why do you have a snake complex? That's not fair! I want to have a awesome creepy-vibe-giving animal complex! Look, I'm a bird! Yay!" This time it was pedafile-freak's time to twitch.

"Ssssssssshut up! Your giving me a headache!" he snapped.

I frowned. "…Sorry?"

"Kabuto,do you have the report on them?" the snake-complex man asked.

"It seems that they arn't in the database Orochimaru-sama." a four eyed freak with silver hair said.

The four eyed freak fixed his glasses as both of us blinked in confusion, until what the guy said finally got inside our heads."WHAT?!"

Ignoring Melody and my random outburst, Orochimaru continued on with his conversation with the four eyed freak.

"They both have large amounts of chakra, it sssssseems almost as if they were at leasssssssst the rank of ssssssssspecial jonin." **[BMS A/N: There is such a rank. Its below jonin, but above chunin.]**

"Uh,Melody?"

"Yeah?"

"Are we on crack?"

"Most likely." she breathed, looking a little faint. "I didn't have that much sugar this morning..." she whispered, mainly to herself. I thought.

"Huh,special jonin eh?" I asked. She nodded then grinned.

"I likey."

"...Me too."

"What are you two whissssssspering about? That's rude to your elders." Orochimaru said with the freaky snake grin of his.

"Nothing, Oro-gay-sama." Melody said sweetly. He glared at her. Oh god, I just realized: He has a freakin butt bow. Oh, how mentally scarring! My eyes! They burn!

"…Eh, why do you have on a buttbow?"I rubbed the back of my head. Melody's eyes widened at my sentence, as she elbowed my ribs.

"Muffin-chan!" she gasped. I saw her fighting a smile though.

"Eh, I'm just curious!"

"But what if he doesn't want to talk about the buttbow? He can push us off a cliff with a flick of his fingers! ...Though that sounds pretty freakin fun. But that's not the point! No talking about the buttbow. Besides, it scares me."I saw her shudder, as I nodded in agreement. "Stupid buttbow." she muttered darkly.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Oro-gay-sama hissed. We both blinked, before Melody rubbed the back of her head sheepishly as she mumbled it under her breath. "What wassssss that?" He hissed again. She said it again louder, but not by much. Much to the annoyance and dismay of the pedafile-freak. "What?" he asked again. Melody sighed in annoyance, gritting her teeth.

"BUTT BOW! We were talking about a butt bow!" she almost yelled.

"A... buttbow?"

"Yes, a buttbow." she snapped. "Gosh, you think he needs a hearing aid?" she asked me behind her hand.

"Kabuto, what is a buttbow?" Oro-gay-sama asked the four eyed freak.

"Er… I don't know Orochimaru-sama." He fixed his glasses nervously. Orochimaru stared at him for a second. Melody and I snickered at Kabuto in the background. Suddenly Orochimaru called out,

"Ssssssakon-kun, are these the two you mentioned to me of when you ran into them with the sound four?" **[BSM A/N: Sakon is a true character in Naruto, actually.] **

"Yes Orochimaru-sama."He smirked knowingly. My eyed widened at the sudden entrance and I frowned before crossing my arms.

"Why does Billy get a awesome dramatic entrance?" I pouted. Melody shrugged, seeming lost for words. Finally she found some.

"Maybe it's because he has a buttbow?"

"Maybe." I said, nodding.

"Billy?" Orochimaru asked with a raised brow.

"Buttbow?"Sakon repeated with a dead tonned,seemingly catching on to what that meant. Melody nodded happily with me, much to the confusion of the trio. Thus a very tense and awkward silence was born.

"Eh, what now?" Melody asked loudly breaking the quiet streak. I shrugged in response.

"I don't care, as long as I am not forced to wear a buttbow."

"I strongly agree." she told me, nodding quickly. She glanced uneasily at the butt bows and shuddered.

"What is a freakin buttbow?!" Oro-gay-sama hissed, making the both of us itch away silently from the scary dark aura of the snake-complex-man.

"Er..Its um…Another name for emo people?" I squeaked in response. Creepy pedafile freaks were people you did not want to mess with when they are scary and not wearing their make up…

"Emo people?" he asked slowly.

"Yeah,like Sasuke!"I nodded vigorously, causing Mel's hand to shoot up to my mouth, covering whatever else I was gonna say before hissing at me in a low tone.

"Muffin-chan! We have to lie low! If people know that we know about stuff that they think we dont know, then we're toast!" she exclaimed quietly. I blinked before nodding slowly. She shot me one last warning glance, before removing her hand. Orochimaru seemed to be distracted because he seemed to be considering something, seeing how he was posing with his index and thumb fingers on his chin in a creepy distracted way. …Wait. If this is Orochimaru,then there must be everybody else! My eyes widened in realization/ I could freakin meet the sadistic hot badass characters! Though, I doubted Oro-gay-sama will let us go without doing something to us first. We should trip that four eyed dude and make a run for it!

"Kabuto." He smirked knowingly, seemingly content with some solution he found out just moments before, seeing the smug expression on his face… Ew, I don't even want to know what he does with that tongue of his, that freak. What happens if he used it to just eat Twinkies? …Yeah, lets just go with that thought...

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama?" Psh, more like Oro-gay-sama…- Wait, that's insulting gay people.

Orochimaru really needs to go choke on some emo pancake syrup, that pedafile freak. I wonder where he got the whole buttbow idea from. He really has bad fashion sense. But you can't really be surprised, somebody like him would of course require his experiments to wear something stupid. I'm actually surprised its not something like... like… like lacey stuff. I shall say no more, because the mental image of Orochimaru, Kabuto and Sasuke in lace doing things all alone for three hours is burning in my mind and its not exactly a very pretty picture… Well, unless you add unicorns. Because unicorns make everything look prettiful. Except Gai-sensei and Lee's unwaxed eye brows and legs. And Orochimaru without make up. And emo blood on the carpet. Yeah, no amount of unicorn can amount to hide the strong emo blood of doom… But besides those three things, its alright!…Yeah.

"Bring them back to the base. They look like they will make good use of my experiments…" he hissed greedily. Then laughed menalically.

"Yes Orochimaru-sama." Melody's jaw dropped and she got that mad anime look in her eyes. She held up a fist.

"I AM NOT GOING WITH YOU DARK EMO F-" Mel didn't get to finish her sentence because she dropped to the ground suddenly. Maybe from lack of sugar or lack of consciousness, but I couldn't really tell. Eh, I wonder if they have KoolAid over here. KoolAid sounded good. Because KoolAid has sugar… So does pancakes, I reminded myself. But you have to be emo to get pancakes. And to be emo you need to slit your wrist. I don't like slitting my wrists. Not because it hurts and its dangerous, but because it obviously gets blood on the carpet. And blood on the carpet isn't good-

_Thud._

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**Lol. REVIEW PLEASE!**

**Sincerely Sugar-Highed,  
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**Tears and xxBittersweet Melancholyxx  
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	3. Chapter 3

**Here is chapter three!!!**

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Melody's Pov

My eyes slammed open as my ears heard the unfamiliar sound of water dripping. My nose burned with the scent of candle smoke and damp rock. I bolted upright and frantically looked around. The last thing I remembered was… Orochimaru saying he was going to take us away and me falling to the ground. Shit. This probably meant I was in one of his stupid secret hideouts.

Wait- where was Muffin-chan?!

I jumped to my feet and wheeled around, searching violently for my friend. But she was nowhere to be seen. My breathing quickened as the worst possible scenarios entered my mind. She was dead; she was being experimented on; she was dy_ing;_ she was mortally injured because of Oro-gay-sama or-… I took a deep breath. She was probably fine. I was over-reacting and maybe just a little scared.

I ran my hand through my thick hair, mentally counting to ten. Then, with a sigh, I stretched and looked around for something useful. My eyes found a shape that looked like a door, so I strode towards that. Uneasily, I grabbed the door knob and turned it. _What's on the other side of this door? _I wondered. I hoped nothing horrible, but then we where in Oro-gay-sama's hideout- AKA the very heart of horrible.

I turned the knob and opened the door a sliver, peeking through. Noting that I could see. Quirking a smile, I thrust the door open and took a step out. Then another and another. Before I knew it I was walking through the rock swirly-lined decorated corridors. I turned around, looking at everything around me.

That's when I bumped into a wall. I stumbled to the floor, rubbing my head. "Well, Mel, that's what you get when your walking backwards in an unfamiliar place." I chided myself. Seriously, you'd think I be smarter than this! But of coarse, I wasn't. Nope, never did I act smart. Only when necessary… like at the dreaded school. He he, that made me think of how I made new names for the whole week. There'd been-

"Hn, are you going to get up?" an icy voice that was sadly familiar snipped. I froze and then my anger boiled. It was Sasuke who'd I bumped into. I hated Sasuke, ever since the beginning. He was arrogant, self centered, a betrayer and etc! I got up and glared at the cockatoo'd haired guy.

"Well of coarse, Sas_gay_. Why would I spend the rest of my life on my butt?" I snapped and then realized that I wasn't where I supposedly should be. I itched away slowly. He rolled his cold onyx eyes and grabbed my upper arm.

"Orochimaru wants to see you." he snapped as he started to drag me away. I pulled, probably giving myself bruises, but to no avail. I was stuck in his monster grip. I pouted angrily.

"What do you freakin use, steroids?!?" I asked. He rolled his eyes again.

"Hn."

"Is that a yes or a no?"

"Hn."

"Or is that like an answer of it's own? Is it like 'maybe' or like 'shut the hell up, I'm thinking' or maybe even 'you annoy me' or is it even-"

"Shut up."

"MAKE ME! DATTEBAYO!" I yelled. Then I shut up, because I realized I'd been so Naruto right then. Damn, I really sucked at keeping the secret… Especially when I kept acting like the other characters. Well, it wasn't _my_ fault. After so many years, these things had just become habit. My friends had adjusted after only a few short days, used to my craziness enough by then to understand there was no cure. I was just the Crazy White Girl (Who Spoke Spanish Real Good). Though they usually just called me Crazy White Girl. It was my indian name! Sometimes they even called me Crazy White Girl Who Talks Too Fast/Much. Either one worked.

I was ranting in my thoughts again… wasn't I? Oops.

I realized Sasuke had stopped and was staring at me with a weird expression. "What? He asked icily. I tried to look innocent.

"What?" I asked right back. He growled and then pulled me along with him again.

"Owie!" I yelped at the sudden tug and pressure on my upper arm. "This hurts!" I protested. He didn't even listen to me. I rolled my eyes and allowed myself to be tugged away. Finally he pushed me into a dark room. I fumbled around, unsure of where was where. I bumped into a pillar. "Ouch! Dammit that hurt!" I said, rubbing my nose. "Turn on the freakin lights before I break something!" I snarled.

Suddenly, the candles flared to life, just as I said that. I tilted my head. "Oh. Thanks." I said, smiling. Orochimaru sat on his throne. I frowned and then couldn't help asking, "Is that the Throne of Gayness you sit upon?" Then I just giggled at how funny that sounded. Orochimaru glared at me.

"No, sssssssstupid." he hissed. I was about to protest but thought better of that. Since, if I wasn't smart didn't that make me stupid? Hm. I'd have to work on that. I suppose I was smartly stupid. Wait- that didn't make sense… Hm. I _really_ needed to work on that answer. "-and he will be exxsssamining you. Go now." hissed Oro-gay-sama. Huh? He'd been talking? Oops! I'd been so caught up on thinking about how I wasn't smart, but wasn't stupid that I hadn't been paying attention!

"What was that?" I asked politely, but next thing I knew Sasuke was dragging me away again! I pouted and decided that had gone too far. I sat down and glared at him.

"I'm not getting up until somebody tells me what the hell is going on!" I shouted defiantly. Sasuke looked over his shoulder at me and then shrugged. Then he just started to drag me on the ground. I put my knuckles on my cheek and looked bored. "This wasn't the answer I was looking for." I said plainly.

Soon, I was dragged into a room. There were some lights on in this one. There was a chair in the middle of the room and leaning against the wall was Kabuto. I grinned.

"It's Kabu!" I squealed, clapping my hands. I noticed I always tended to do that. Do what, you may wonder? Well, I'll tell you. I always called the Naruto character by their first four letters. Kabuto I called Kabu, Naruto I called Naru-kun, and pretty much every other character too. Hm, maybe I was stupid. But more like a silly stupid. A silly stupid that is actually pretty smart if you paid attention. Yeah, that's it! I smiled triumphantly at my thoughts.

Kabuto looked at me, raised eyebrow and all. "Yeah, it's me. Who else?" he said dryly, flipping a blank card in his hand. My eyes locked on it. I had a guess of what he was going to do with that. I decided to make sure.

"Are you going to make me a card in your deck?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yes. What's your name?" he said, looking intensely at his card. I beamed.

"Melody Char." I answered, sitting down in the chair. He nodded.

"Unusual name, but it's nice." he commented. I nodded.

"I know, what were my parents thinking!? Char is like the weirdest last name ever! If you added an i before the r then my last name would be Chair. And that would get me teased, my friend." I nodded matter of factly. He looked at me, a weird look in his eye.

"I wasn't talking about your last name." he said flatly. I twitched, getting one of those anime sweat drops.

"Uh… neither was I." I lied with a nervous laugh. Kabuto rolled his eyes.

"I am going to have to look into your mind to see your abilities and past. It's for the card, Melody." he said. My eyes went wide. Inside my mind? Was he prepared to do actually do that? Wait- if he did that he would learn that I was from a different world! How to stop him!?!? I thought real hard on how to stop him, but I just happened to have a brain fart right then.

"…Oh…" I mumbled, looking at the ground. Sasuke looked at me curiously, his dark cold bitter hatred filled-

"It seems you hate Sasuke-kun with a passion." Kabuto commented. I jumped, my dark blue eyes widening.

"Your in my mind right _now!?_" I asked, surprised. Kabuto grinned sheepishly, pushing his glassed up the bridge of his nose. I pouted. _That's not fair!_ I thought angrily. _I want to read minds!_ Suddenly Kabuto laughed. "Life is not fair, Melody." he told me. My jaw dropped. He was listening to me think?

"Are you just going to sort through my thoughts till you know everything about me?" I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest. Kabuto nodded. I rolled my eyes. "And what if I find that information personal?" I asked tightly. I was panicking on the inside, but I tried not to think of my world as I pushed the panic out of the way. Kabuto smiled.

"Privacy is a privilege we cannot allow right now." he said simply. I glared. What to do, what to do, what to do…? Oh dear, this sucked. What would Muffin-chan do?

…

…

…

OH! She would totally start thinking about something about the Naruto world like… Sasuke and emo pancakes or fangirlness or- OH! FANGIRLNESS! (*cough*Obsessed individualness*cough*) That would be perfect to distract him!

I thought hard on the male Naruto cast that I absolutely adored and focused on those fan girl emotions. Naru-kun, Suigetsu-cuddly-eyes, Diedara-badass-kun, Tobi, Kiba, and all those ones that I was obsessing individually. I was practically fanning myself with all the images in my head. Oh, my, I loved those character… I really did. Suddenly, I heard a scream.

I broke out of my thoughts to see Kabuto twitching on the floor, his eyes wide and scared. Suddenly, he curled into a ball and started whimpering, tears in his eyes. He started rocking back and forth on his rump, sucking on his thumb.

I titlted my head. "Oh… that's different." I commented. Sasuke rose an eyebrow.

"What did you _do_ to him?" he asked, the slightest ounce of concern in his tone. I bit my lips to block my laughter. It didn't work, since I was a snorter. It came out of my nose instead, and then I just started cracking up.

"Who knew that his defeat was obsessive indivualness!" I shrieked with laughter. Wait till Muffin-chan heard about this! Oh, man, this was sooooo hilarious. I then realized Sasuke was glaring at me.

"Hn, this is not funny." he said coldly. "…What is obsessive individualness?" he asked after a moment. I started cracking up again. Finally I was done, though my sides ached from laughing so much. I got up and smiled.

"Can I go talk to Muffin-chan now?" I asked him, smiling. Sasuke looked at me with calculating eyes, that switched to Kabuto and then back to me. He sighed.

"Hn." he muttered. He started to walk away, so I followed him. The walk was long, beyond many more halls that all looked the same to me. Gosh, Oro-gay-sama has _no_ taste. Seriously, he should have a girl decorate his hideouts. Hm… maybe me and Muffin-chan should do that. I mean, I didn't want to stay in a boring maze, I wanted a vibrant easily recognizable know-where-you-are maze! Of coarse, it would have to match Oro-gay-sama since I had a feeling we'd only be staying here for a little bit.

I was getting bored with all the walking. So I marched up next to Sasuke and studied him. Suddenly I grinned and shook his hand. "Congratulations! You won!" I yelled, grinning. He stopped and looked at me, tearing his hand from mine.

"Hn. Win what?" he asked.

"The Most Gayest Outfit of the Year Award." I said, dead calm. He glared at me and suddenly stalked off. I could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. "What? You did!" I said, chasing after him. He ignored me. I sighed.

Another ten minutes passed by. I was bored again. I got bored easily… I looked at Sasuke again.

"If your not gay, are you emo?" I asked. "Because a lot of people think so. OH! Do you cut yourself? Is that what the giant katana is for? What do you cut? Arms? Legs? Both? Do you eat pancakes? Pancakes are good. Muffin-chan can make pancakes appear out of thin air. It's really cool. If your emo, than do you eat emo pancakes? You know, like the bacon frowns instead of grins? Wait- if frowning pacnakes are emo… what are the grinning ones? Preppy? Well, anyways, are you emo or what? Cause you know-"

"SHUT UP!" he shouted. I pouted angrily.

"You interrupted my rant." I snapped. He glared at me.

"Shut. Up. Or I swear I will chop your head off." he snarled. I considered that.

"You know, even if you did do that, I would still be alive for about two or three minutes. It has something to do with cell life. I am actually very good at science. My-" His hand went over my mouth. I looked down at it, trying to see over my nose. It was pretty difficult. Finally I just sighed. He slowly dropped his hand.

Finally we reached a huge door. I walked through to see Muffin-chan. "Muffin-chan!" I quealed and ran up to her. "Guess what?!"

"What?" she asked.

"Sasuke won the Gayest Outfit of the Year Award!"

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	4. Chapter 4

**Here is chapter four!!!!**

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Muffin-chan's POV:

"No Mel-chan! That was suppose to be Orochimaru-hentai! I mean,did you see him?"I whined, trying to empathize my point, ignoring the emo onlooker in the background.

Mel blinked, tilting her head to the side. "Mel-chan?"

I nodded happily. "Duh! It makes sense,unless you loath melon with a passion.. Or if you hate rainbows. But everybody likes rainbows,its like common sense,duh! Besides,I get brownie points for making it sound so coolio-sounding!"Everybody but Mel and I sweat dropped, maybe because they don't like brownies? I like brownies, but I feel in the mood for a muffin. Yeah, muffins are good..

"...Coolio?" Sasuke questioned with a raised brow.

I nodded. "Coolio."

"Coolio…"

"...Coolio."

"Coolio…"

"…Coolio."

"Coolio..?"

"...Coolio!"

"Coolio…"

"Awesome epic brownie points of coolio booze unicorn emo pancakes! Ha! Beat that,you little emo prick!"I pumped a fist in the air,much to Mel-chan's dismay as she elbowed me in the ribs giving me a scolding questioning glance. Or maybe it was a, 'You could have made something better up' stare. Or maybe it's a,'I want emo pancakes' stare. Yeah, let's go with that one.

"Keep it down, people are staring."Mel-chan whispered, but hid a smile to look more serious-looking. Psh, being serious is so boring. I mean, somebody is so serious, they named their own child, 'Serious black' in Harry Potter. Geez,you can't get more negative with the name, 'Serious black'… Unless his middle name is unicorn. Eh, Serious Unicorn Black…That sounds like a spy ninja agent's name. Ooh, coolio. Wait, why are they staring at me and my awesome hand gestures again? Maybe they want a muffin…

Get your own muffin, stupid heads. Yeah, stupid heads. No other insult could be as bad as 'Stupid head' Well, except prick. Because pricks are annoying and not good. They make even unicorns cry sometimes. And believe me, you don't want to make a unicorn cry. Unless you're a sadist, a unicorn sadist. Or emo. Yes, the angst-y emo people that write depressing poetry. They are the only ones that dislike unicorns strongly. But unicorns freakin sparkle, how can they not like them? I mean, everybody likes freakin' sparkly vampires. Why not unicorns? Oh wait, somebody is talking. Maybe they are talking about a surprise birthday party filled with muffins? Yes it is, because I said so.

"-And that is exactly why Orochimaru-sama uses the buttbow." A familiar silver haired man fixed his glasses. Wait, how did he appear out of nowhere?! Nobody can get pass... Ninja Muffin-chan!_ Ooh,that sounds awesome… _I thought inwardly. But wait, he's a ninja too. So duh, of course he can get past other ninjas. But is he a pull-pancakes-out-of-nowhere ninja? I think not! Eh, why are they staring at my plate of pancakes intently? Its my pancakes, bitches!

"Where did you get those pancakes?"Sasuke asked, eyeing my wonderful pancakes. I frowned as I pulled my plate closer to my body, seeing as Sasuke was invading my pancake's personal bubble. If somebody threatens somebody's pancake personal bubble, you of course know that its not a good sign. Oh no, Sasuke is staring at my pancakes too intensely! With him and his intense emo stares, they can explode! Must find a distraction to save my pancakes.

"Eh. Look over there, a bird!"I pointed frantically to a random direction. As people turned their heads, I grasped Mel-chan's hand with a loud stretched out, "Ruuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnn!"

And run we did.

--xXx--

"Did you find those little bratssssssss yet?"Hissed a familiar voice not too far away. I gripped my mouth to control my panting breaths. Stupid pancakes. I ate them while running and now I'm even extra tired. Especially with the sugar rush gone. There Mel-chan and I were, hiding behind a laundry bin from Oro-gay-sama.

First off, since when was there ever a laundry room? Unless they have super duper secret meetings between the emos and the unicorns! Those bitches, they did it right under my nose! I glanced at Mel-chan, who was busy staring intently at Oro-gay-sama... Or was she staring at the unfamiliar white haired boy behind him. Wait, that's... that's… Suigetsu-kun?!

"When you find them, report immediately to me. Undersssssssstood?" Oro-gay-sama didn't look happy, I can tell you that much. Maybe his buttbow is on too tight? Maybe. Or maybe the unicorns turned against him, wanting the sparkles and rainbows for themselves? That must be it… Sui-kun grinned sharkfully---Is there such a word? Well, there is now---. As he nodded in acknowledgment and walked away in the halls following close behind Oro-hentai.

Once Mel-chan made sure they were definitely out of earshot, she breathed a sign of relief before speaking,"That was close." I nodded in agreement, before frowning.

"Eh, what do we do now?" I rubbed the back of my head in confusion, as Mel-chan tapped her chin thoughtfully, before her features lit up again.

"I got it! You can throw pancakes at them and then we make a run for it!"

I shook my head grimly before responding, "I can't make anymore pancakes until the freaky thing called chakra builds up again. Seriously, what prick made it that there's such a thing called, 'Chakra exhaustion'?"

"Maybe the same prick that cursed that plushy?" She asked thoughtfully, as I nodded in agreement before a thought crossed my mind.

"Wait, don't you have any awesome epic powers of ninja pwn?"I asked, as Mel-chan wrinkled her nose in thought once again before shrugging.

"I don't know. Wait, can you make things appear other then just pancakes?"She asked, as I shrugged. "Eh, I don't really know either. The pancakes just appeared, heh heh."I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly.

"How do we test out what my awesome ninja powers are then?" she asked then, stumped. I grinned evilly at her question, before what crossed my mind crossed hers, as she rubbed her hands together evilly, cackling the infamous evil laugh. Man, does mentally scarring fictional characters sound good this morning, eh?

--xXx--

"Ready Mel-chan?"I whispered, as she grinned evilly and nodded.

"Ready."She responded, as I grinned back. "Alright, on the count of three..." She whispered to me fighting as smile, as I nodded silently.

"One." I started.

"Two…" She breathed.

"Three!" We both yelled, our voices echoing throughout the big room. Also gaining the attention of a lot of onlookers in hearing distance. Both of us ran in opposite directions from the middle of the room, that stretched out to at least a acre or two. I couldn't really tell, but it didn't matter. Oops, I think I just tripped somebody... Double brownie points!

Everybody was panicking, either from everybody trying to pounce the two girls that their 'Orochimaru-sama' ordered to get a while ago and missing by a hair or maybe because the unicorns were attacking for all I knew. Yeah, lets go with the latter of the two, just because I said so.

"Now Mel-chan!" I called from the other side of the room, half thinking maybe she couldn't hear me. This was proven wrong when she responded with a grin and a quiet nod. Suddenly her hands starting doing random hand gestures, her face seemingly surprised, and then smoke clouded my vision. Coughing from the intake of smoke, my eyes burned from the dark clouds of bad smoke-ness. Because smoke is just that icky. The smoke soon faded away, causing everybody in the room to go into shock.

I blinked, before scowling. "That's not fair! I want to make things go boom! Um, Mel-chan, I don't think that guy can breath... Mel-chan? Mel-chan! Oh no, she must have lost all her brownie points! Or her sugar rush is gone. Eh, either works..." I ran over to Mel-chan that was lost in all of the rubble of what was the walls of the building moments before. Damn those stupid unicorns! But I give them brownie points for making it look so dramatic.

"Muffin-chan?" She groaned, maybe from discomfort. Well, it sure doesn't seem that broken wall rubble is comfortable. Unless you're a sadist. Er…Anyway…

"Eh, yeah Mel-chan?" I asked, not exactly knowing what she was gonna bring up.

"…The buttbows."She said.

I frowned. "Eh,what about butt bows?"

"…Buttbows are so gay looking, don't you think?"She said casually, like as if we didn't just destroyed part of Oro-hentai's base. I nodded in agreement before answering.

"Duh, butt bows are for Oro-gay-sama minions. Or emo angst-y people, like Sasuke."I nodded happily, before she tapped her chin thoughtfully. Still on the ground and rubble.

"Huh, Sasuke is pretty emo… Makes sense."

"Double brownie points, since Sasuke is like emo and gay, with a buttbow, eh?"I spoke, ignoring the commotion a few feet away with a angry Oro-gay-sama and scared buttbow people arguing about the broken walls the unicorns must have destroyed…

"I strongly agree."

"Yeah, unless they don't like brownie points. Then it could be... Unicorn points. And if they don't like unicorns, it could be buttbow points. But that sounds a bit strange... I mean, that's like insulting unicorns... and rainbows. Because unicorns own the rainbows, its like common sense, duh. I mean I don't see why people wouldn't like rainbows, except unicorn sadist. But it really makes you wonder why they don't like unicorns in the first place. Maybe they spend their Sunday's writing depressing poetry, and slitting their wrist to the emo people to gain their emo pancakes, but that would hurt because…Well I don't know why it would hurt because they are sadist, but if there was a reason, it would go there."I nodded again, mostly talking to myself.

Suddenly Oro-gay-sama came, all angry with his snake-complex and all. I still haven't got over how he has such a animal complex, and that its not fair… Maybe it's the same reason I can make pancakes appear or how Mel-chan can make things go boom. Who knows! Oh wait- he's talking. So we are having the super duper secret surprise birthday party with the muffins? Lets just say so, because I like muffins and birthday parties. Especially mine, I get free stuff!

"-And thatsssss exactly why I wear my buttbow. I. Am. _**Not**_. Gay!" Oro-hentai hissed, as I blinked before wrinkling my nose in thought before responding with a frown. "…You mean we arent having a super duper surpise birthday party?"

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	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five!!! YAY!!! Cookies for every reviewer!!! Arn't you guys happy we update quickly? **

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Melody's POV

I started to bust out laughing, and even though I was in rubble I knew that if I weren't I'd be doubling over with my hands on my knees. Oro-gay-sama glared at Muffin-chan, tongue flicking out angrily. I tried not to shudder. I swallowed my laughing fit and grinned at Muffin-chan. "I don't think so, Muffin-chan." I giggled. She sulked.

"Dammit." she swore, crossing her arms over her chest and sulking some more. I chuckled, shaking my head.

"Maybe some other time, when we are with _cooler_ people!" I said, practically bouncing up and down in my rubble. Wait- is that even possible? Bouncing up and down when your _stuck in rubble_? Hm, I'm not sure because your kind of always stuck in these awkward positions. So it's more like a little rock instead of a bounce. Does that make sense? I hoped so, because I had no clue how else to explain it.

I looked at Sasuke who was opening his mouth to snap something. I interrupted. "No, your not cool. Not even by a longshot. So really you're the looser and not Naru-kun." I told him. Muffin-chan turned and looked at me with pointed wide eyes and I snapped my mouth shut quickly and bit my lips together. Oops?

Sasuke gave me a calculating look, cold dark eyes narrowed and hands twitching. Finally he just rolled his eyes. "Hn." he muttered and turned. Muffin-chan shook her head.

"I know, she's pretty weird…" she agreed with a solemn look in her eyes. I looked at her, pouting.

"_Hey!" _I protested.

Sasuke whirled around, wide eyed and frightened looking. "Hn?" he asked, staring at Muffin-chan. Muffin-chan rolled her eyes and huffed, putting an annoyed hand on her hip.

"Well, duh! Of coarse it's me! Who else would it be…. Never mind, don't answer that. It could be my evil cousin Ink." she said, looking thoughtful before busting out laughing. We all stared at her, twitching silently. "What?" she asked, grinning innocently. Sasuke ignored the comment about the evil cousin Ink and gave her a suspicious glare.

"Hn, hn hn hn." he hn'd. Is that even a word? …Well, it is now! Lol, my genius word making shall prevail! He he, with the power of ugly youth! I started making Naruto jokes in my head, only slightly listening to Muffin-chan's and Sasuke's conversation. Muffin-chan glared.

"I AM NOT A CLOSET HENTAI WRITER!!!" she screamed, her veins popping out angrily. Her eyes were head like puffed up, leaning towards Sasuke while her body stayed the same and in the exact spot it was. Wow… that must be uncomfortable. He he, she looked like Tsunade. Only… less like Tsunade. Ok, it seemed that when she was angry she was like Tsunade, but otherwise she wasn't.

Then Muffin-chan looked thoughtful. "Although… Sasuke does seem to like to write depressing poetry in HIS closet!" she shouted, pointing an accusing finger at his face. Sasuke glared.

"You don't want to go there, twerp." he muttered lethally. Muffin-chan grinned and I nodded sadly.

"Yeah, apparently she does. Dude, it was your fault for accusing her of being a hentai closet writer." I told him, chuckling. Oh, he was in for it now. I looked at the rubble, wishing it would just get off me so I could be free of all this pressure. And just like that the rocks floated upwards and out of my way. I smiled, perked up and got up. I walked over to Muffin-chan's side, smiling still. Everyone was gaping at me and then glancing at the still floating rocks.

I tilted my head and looked at them. "What are you looking at guys?" I asked, watching as the rocks dropped like… well, rocks. They clattered on the ground. I scratched my head and yawned. I felt a little tired and just wanted to take a nap. That's when I felt them all staring at me. I twitched uncomfortably, looking at Muffin-chan, to Sasuke, to Kabuto, to Suigetsu-cuddly-eyes, and lastly to Oro-gay-sama. "What?" I asked, feeling like an exotic animal at the zoo.

Muffin-chan started to grin. "Ohmigosh! Melody, you can control stuff! Are you like, telekinetic or just like can control certain things? We must figure our powers out! Then we can rule the world!" she said, cackling darkly. Then she remembered people where in the room, especially people who were evil and pretty much had the same idea. She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I mean… have a party….Yay!" she said, throwing her arms into the air and try.

I tried not to laugh, but failed. So instead of laughing, I chuckled. I tried to veer it back on the topic we had been on. "So, are we going to check Sasuke's closet? Just to make sure he's emo and writes depressing poetry." I asked. Muffin-chan nodded eagerly and even Suigetsu-cuddly-eyes looked eager to check it out.

Kabuto and Oro-gay-sama rolled their eyes. Kabuto stepped forward. "Actually, I think we still have some experi- I mean, checking up to do on you two. So if you'd follow me into the la-…doctors office, we can get this over with. Who knows, if your good, I'll give you a lollipop." he said, chuckling. I glared.

"Please, do we _look_ five? Seriously, we may _act_ five but we are not!" I said, sticking my tongue out and crossing my arms over my chest. Everybody sweat dropped. Muffin-chan grinned.

"Yeah! _So there_!" she said, sticking out her own tongue. We chuckled and then slapped high fives at our awesomeness. Then we walked up to Sasuke and I smiled.

"Are you going to show us your closet?" I asked. Suigetsu made a gag face and I looked at him weird. "What?" I asked warily. He looked at me, totally disgusted.

"That sounded so wrong." he told me. I rolled my eyes and looked at Muffin-chan. I pointed behind myself at him with my thumb.

"Maybe _he's_ the closet hentai writer." I suggested. We both started to crack up. I smiled and nodded. "I think I could get used to living here." I said, grinning and waggling my eyebrows. Everyone but me and Muffin-chan sweat dropped. Muffin-chan nodded.

"Yeah! We've got all these people we don't like to pick on!" she exclaimed. Cackling, we both looked at Sasuke expectantly. Muffin-chan huffed when all he did was glare at us. "Well, _come on_, we're waiting to see your closet!" she snapped impatiently. Sasuke glared harder.

"No. You have no right to be in my personal closet." he growled. I rolled my eyes and put a hand on my hip, jutting it out in an annoyed manner.

"Oh, come on Sasgay! You know that by only denying us to right to investigate your closet your pretty much agreeing with us that you are in fact emo and write depressing poetry." I said boredly. Muffin-chan nodded, a serious yet pouty look on her face.

"Yeah! And you post it on LiveJournal!" she insisted. I gave her a small look.

"Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Well… ok." I said, shaking my head slowly. LiveJournal? Why would he do that? It was an earth web site… Unless… SASGAY WAS A HACKER! I gasped and eyed him strangely. He glared at me. He seemed to glare a lot…

"What!?" he snapped. I took a step back.

"Your not only a depressed emo, your also a hacker!" I accused. He looked at me.

"Hn." he mumbled and looked away. Muffin-chan shrugged placidly.

"I don't think she likes those. I don't know. Mel-chan, do you like waffles? I personally like pancakes, but well, if you don't I guess that's ok. As long as you like muffins, brownies, rainbows and unicorns." she said, smiling and nodded. I gave her a weird look.

"A, I love pancakes more. B, unicorns? C, HOW THE HELL DO YOU UNDERSTAND HIS HN'S? DATTEBAYO!??" I screamed, I myself doing that huge head tiny body thingy with the vain and the huge teeth. He he, I probably looked very funny. Sasuke stared at me again. Muffin-chan tried to keep a straight face, though her eyes spoke murder.

…Oh crap, did I just say that? Oh CRAP! I DID! AGAIN!!! CRAP!!!!

How many times did I just think crap? Uuuummmmm… Let me think back. Oh yeah! Four times if you count the one when I just thought 'how many times did I think crap'. Oh wait… now it's five. Hm… do you think I swore too much?

…

…

…

Nah.

"Where did you hear that?" Sasuke asked, trying to be civil. It still sounded cruelly cold. I sighed inwardly. Crap, I sucked at keeping my mouth shut. Oh wait… now it's six. Six times I've thought crap. GAH! Now it's seven! I NEEDED TO STOP THINKING CRAP! AGH! NOW IT'S EIGHT! I made a face and shrugged.

"No where in particular…" I mumbled, thinking about Naru-kun. Man, I was the biggest obsessed individual when it came to him. I mean, can you say ho-

Another scream as Kabuto fell to the floor, his eyes bulging. "STOP WITH THE FANGIRL THOUGHTS!!!!" he screams. I blink and look at him.

"Um… ok." I said but thinking even more about Naru-kun. He screamed and screamed and screamed until finally Muffin-chan popped up beside me. "He's trying to weasel his way into your mind. Think fan girl thoughts! It scars him!" I whisper to her, thinking hard now about Saso-kun. Muffin-chan cackled and then put her index fingers to her temples, thinking hard apparently.

Kabuto, three minutes after this, passed out. His face was frightened, his body still tense. I smiled, proud of our work. Me and Muffin-chan looked at each other, busted out laughing and then slapped high fives. "That was great! I can't believe I didn't think of that awesomeness! EXTRA BROWNIE POINTS!" she exclaimed, still giggling over the Kabuto thing. Because, now we knew his weakness!!!

"BWA HA HA! WE ROCK!" I screamed, punching the air with my fist. Sasuke glared at me.

"Where did you get _that?" _he growled. I blinked.

"Get what? Are you feeling okay, Sasgay?" I asked. I knew exactly what he meant, actually. I was just pretending. I hated that I'd gotten so accustomed to doing Naruto like things. Dammit! Oh, mwa ha ha ha! I did not say crap that time! Oh _waaaiiiit_… Great, now it's nine!

Sasuke kept glaring at me, that calculating look back in his eyes. I grinned sheepishly, my hand going to the back of my head but then I pushed it back down. Rubbing the back of my head while grinning sheepishly was acting like Naruto, which I was trying not to do in front of Sasgay. Muffin-chan tilted her head.

"Maybe he's suffering from blood loss. Cause, you know, he's emo like that." she said, veering the topic away from what it had been. For that I was grateful. Suigetsu-cuddle-eyes stopped analyzing us to grin and ask,

"So are you going to show these lovely ladies to that supposed emo closet of yours Sasuke?" His eyes were practically daring him to do so. I knew he just wanted to know for himself and tease him about it.

"Shut up or I'll kill you." Sasuke snarled. Suigetsu yawned and shrugged.

"You always say that." he said boredly, picking something between his razor sharp teeth. I giggled and nodded. Muffin-chan rolled her eyes but smiled.

"I don't think he has the guts to do it!" I said, crossing my arms over my chest. Sasuke snapped his head towards me and glared. Suddenly he pushed me into a wall and drew his sword against my neck. I looked down at it, frowning. "Oh, look. A katana." I said, running a finger on the edge. It cut my skin, but thankfully didn't get under the layer of skin to my flesh. I made a face. "Correction, sharp katana." I murmured.

I pouted and looked at Muffin-chan. "Muffin-chan, I want a katana! Can you make one appear out of thin air for me?" I asked her. Sasuke glared at me, his eyes full of sudden hate. Hm… usually people didn't hate me… they just ignored me. But then, I wasn't in my world. I was in the Naruto world. Man, this was great!

I wondered inwardly if he was going to let me go or actually kill me. It would be horrible to die right now. I still hadn't seen so many things or even faught battles! I wanted to do all these thigns before I died! But Sasuke didn't have the guts to kill me. Nope. He wouldn't do it and that I was sure of. Or... would he? Inside myself I felt a little panic as the blade pressed up against my neck a little tighter...

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**Yups, that's chatper five! Tell us what you think!!!**

**Ja'ne (lol)  
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**Tears & Bittersweet  
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	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter six!!! Sorry about two things today:**

**A) It's not beta-ed. Sorry.**

**B) It's sooooo late! Im sorry!**

**And no, Bittersweet I'm not dead. I'm merely just busy trying not to collapse from exhaustion in my hectic life.  
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**Lol.**

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Muffin-chan's POV.

I frowned,"Er,Sas-gay I don't think its very nice to cut other people for no reason."

Sasuke twitched and turned to me before he spoke with a pointed finger at Mel-chan,"Hn! Hn,hn,hn!"

I crossed my arms,giving him a skeptical look. Ooh,big word. I like big words. Well,what about small words? They are so lonely and get no credit. And I suppose that's wrong? If that's wrong,whats right? Left? Then again,left could be right,and right could be left. I perfer the left hand,its all pretty and stuff. And I do ninja sneaky things with my left hand.

And I eat pancakes with my left hand. Although,I use my right hand for waffles.. Because waffles totally fall in a different catergory. Wait,hes staring at me to continue what ever I was gonna say. What was I gonna say? Oh yes,something intelligent with more big words.

"So? Now what did Mel-chan ever do to you? …Wait,don't answer that. But still its not very nice to cut people for no reason. That's just called a prick,or a sadist. Well,except the people that you cut for reason,then that's just undying hate or something. Well,unless you're a sadist,but your emo. You can't be a sadist,because sadist are all hot and stuff. Your none of those things,duh. Besides,if you cut Mel-chan you might get the carpet all dirty,duh!"They both glared at me for my logic as I itched away sliently,because creepy-staring-intently-at-you-glaring is very scary. Like,so scary some unicorns can cry from how intense it is. But I don't like emo-sad unicorns,they make me sad.

"Thatsssss enough of thisssss nonssssssenssssse!"Oro-gay-sama hissed,causing in result scared buttbow people because Oro-gay-sama without makeup on Sundays isn't exactly a pretty sight.. Unless you add unicorns. I like unicorns,because I like rainbows. And unicorns own rainbows,duh.

Oro-hentai frowned,"Wheressss Kabuto?"

"Right here Orochimaru-sama."Said a muffled voice from the ground. Wait,the ground can talk!? No wait,that's ridiculous. It can be one of the muppets! Oh my god,the muppets are attacking! Those pricks! Oh wait,that's just Kabuto… What is Kabuto doing on the floor? …Maybe hes trying to find those Muppet-pricks! …Or he just might like eating floor.

"Kabuto,what are you doing down there?"Oro-hentai spoke,irrated. Maybe he didn't have his coffee either? Geez,its like everybody lacks coffee around here… Maybe they don't have coffee! Maybe that's why Oro-gay-sama needs make up in the morning! Or maybe he doesn't like Kabuto laying on the floor like that,when hes suppose to do bad-ninja things? What do bad ninjas do? Well,bad ninjas do evil things,like poking people for fun. Or being all sneaky and stuff… What else do bad ninjas do? …Maybe I should get some professional help. …Wait,that sounded strange.

I frowned."Oro-hentai,what do bad ninja people do?"

Oro-gay-sama scowled,"What did you call me?"

I nodded happily,"Oro-hentai,duh! I mean,its like perfect! Who else gives those I-browse-pictures-of-little-boys-all-day-on-the-internet vibes like you do? Duh!" He shot me a glare,but turned back to Mel-chan and gave her the evil eye,maybe still mad about the evil unicorns turning against him and destroying his base? Or maybe he likes poptarts. I mean,why wouldn't he like pop tarts? Everybody likes pop tarts,duh.

"You jusssssst dessssstroyed part of my bassssse,you pessssst!"He hissed,as everybody in the room itched sliently away because he was that scary without his makeup. I remembered he didn't answer my question,and scowled in dismay.

"Er… Maybe we should just see Sasuke's emo closet?"Mel-chan said hopefully,until that hope was crushed when Oro-hentai smirked evilly. Like,the one of those bad ninja people do. And you know when bad ninja people smirk evilly that's not a good sign indeed.

He tapped his chin with his evil ninja vibes ringing thoughout the tense awkward slience,"Actually,I have ssssssomething elssssssse in mind."

----XxX----

"You had to call him Oro-hentai,didn't you?"Melody asked with a annoyed glance in my general direction. I looked down with a downcast pouting expression before I responded.

"Its not my fault Oro-hentai put us in a creepy dungeon! Besides,I didn't even know he had one."I added the last sentence thoughtfully.

Mel-chan rolled her eyes with a grin,"Well,duh. Everybody knows evil creepy bad people have dungeons in their lairs.."

I pouted,"How are we gonna get out?"

"Your not."Said the wall.

I blinked,"Walls can talk?!"

"No,stupid."Said the wall again.

I frowned staring suspiciously at the talking wall,"How are you talking then?"

"Er..Muffin-chan that's not the wall."Mel-chan said sweat dropping slightly,as I turned around from my staring-at-wall-intenseness. I raised my brow at the figure before us,before scowling.

"Oh no…" I whined.

"What is it?"The figure snapped.

"Its alright Karin-**,Muffin-chan just doesn't like you that well. Well neither do I,and actually loath you with a passion."Mel-chan grinned at the glare said Karin shot in her general direction.

"Er…If your not here to let us go,does that mean we are throwing some type of surpise birthday party?"I asked hopefully,because even bad evil ninja people throw fun surpise birthday parties,duh.

"No."Karin-** snapped.

"…Are you albino or something? Cause you have red eyes,if you havent noticed."I nodded happily,causing Karin-** to glare at me more intensely.

"Orochimaru-sama left me in charge now that he has departed,having some business to do."She fixed her glasses sliently fuming,as Mel-chan frowned at her with distaste evident in her eyes.

"You mean Oro-gay-sama left us to you?"Mel-chan asked with a frown.

"Positive."She spoke,shooting her a glare for insulting her Oro-gay-sama... Oh yeah,she was pretty loyal to him or something… Maybe because he has cake? I mean,why wouldn't he have cake? I like cake,especially the ice cream cake. And with the little chocolate swirls on the ,those are good especially. Wait,did I just hear her say positive? Whats the opposite of positive? Emo people! ..No wait,nothing too specific. She might question my logic and that wont be good,because it would require me to explain my logic and the big words would only hurt my head,so I replied with something else instead.

"Negative!"I sang out,causing her to give me a raised brow.

I frowned once more,"What? I can't say negative things?"

"…."Karin-** glared at me intensely,causing the atmosphere to get all strange. There is no glare deadlier then the fan girl stare of ultimate doom,and it makes even sadist cry sometimes. Now that is what I call scary…

"Er… What happened to Kabuto?"Mel-chan asked,trying to hopefully change the topic on hand and break the tense slience the air was giving out. Fortunely she turned away from me breaking the tense atmosphere,and turned back to Melody once more.

"Hes… In a instable condition right now.."She answered uneasily.

I blinked."…You mean hes like,mentally retarded or something?"

"No,more like whimpering and screaming whenever somebody mentions the words,'muffins,twinkies,Orochimaru,buttbow,and emo pancakes'."The red haired ninja fixed her glasses once again,as I frowned before turning to Melody.

"…You think he doesn't like emo pancakes?"I asked her.

She shrugged before responding,"Maybe its because hes not emo?"

"..Hm,maybe."

"(Karin,please report to Orochimaru-sama. Karin,please report to Orochimaru-sama."Echoed the entire building with a robotic speaker voice,as I looked around feverishly for the source of the voices. [Italic:]The voices I tell you! The voices![:Italic]

"It seems that Orochimaru-sama needs me…Be good or else I will pound your skulls in."She threatened with her evil fangirl anger of doom as Mel-chan and I itched away slowly,but nodded none the less. …Evil fan girl anger of doom wasn't something you wanted to mess with,I'd tell you that much. Smirking in stasifaction,she swiftly made her way out of the dungeon leaving us to our creepy cell.

"…She is scary."I said finally,as Mel-chan nodded in agreement.

"Er…How are we gonna get out?"She asked.

"Well seeing as the room is of a acute square,fourty two meters down minus the seven that of a narrow hall way but plus the amount of time it took her to walk over there minus the time to think about it,it seems that our ticket out of here is thirty meters to the left,while our exit is to the right. Add them together with everything else and anticipating the amount of time before they bring down a guard to keep an eye on us and how long it takes that guard to reach the end of the cell plus the amount for us to escape,I'd say we only have about ten minutes."I nodded happily,but in result making Mel-chan blink in confusion.

"Where did you get all that from?"Mel-chan asked incredulously.

"…Well,the unicorns turned against the buttbow people because Oro-hentai has the cake,and made things go boom around the time we were protecting our emo pancakes because they like emo pancakes,and who doesn't like emo pancakes? Besides that,they felt in the mood for cake,and thus the war between the buttbow people and unicorns began! But I bet Oro-hentai fell over a piece of cake and they won,stealing the cake all for themselves. That's exactly how I know we only have ten minutes before another buttbow person comes."I said in one breath,making me all tired and stuff.

Mel-chan rubbed the back of her head,"Er..How do we get out?"

"Like this!"I pulled out the key to our heavy chains out of no where forming sparkles,because the key is just that awesome,because its all shiny and stuff. And everybody likes shiny things,duh. Thus only in result making Mel-chan stare at me incredulously,making me frown.

"What is it?"I asked.

"You had the key all this time?!"She waved her arms in the air to empathize the point,as I nodded happily before responding to her random outburst with two words that showed off my intelligence:.

"Well,duh!"

"How..? Who…? Why didn't you tell me?"She asked.

I shrugged,"You never asked."

"How did you get it?"She eyed the shiny key,knowing it was our ticket to leave the creepy dungeon place of doom,as I shrugged before grinning widely and answering her question.

"I can make more things appear then just pancakes?"I said,unsure.

"Never mind that,lets leave before those freaky buttbow people-"Mel-chan was cut short as the door creaked open,making both of us freeze in shock. Her freezing supposedly because another creepy buttbow person came,but for me,it was because I was afraid. Not because of the buttbow people,but because those pricks were gonna take away my shiny! Those pricks.. I was pulled out of my thoughts from the voice that spoke suddenly,:

"…Hello Melody, Muffin."

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**Yups, that's chapter six! Again, sorry it's not beta-ed.  
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**Ja'ne,  
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**Tears & Bittersweet  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter seven is finally here! Bittersweet created this awesome chapter, so give extra thanks to her! (I mean it!) And she worked so hard on it and on such short notice too! Yup, she's awesome!**

**Thank you our faithful reviewer!!!! Mysticalwater, you rock!**

**Other readers, would you please mind reviewing? Me and Bittersweet love to hear from you and it would really jump start us to write more!  
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** Sasuke's POV:

This was outrageous, definitely and certainly outrageous. Actually, it was so ridiculously outrageous that they should make a prize, definitely. It's so blaringly, outrageously, certainly, ridiculous that they should win a prize for it each year for tens years standing! That is exactly how outrageous this is. Hn, ever since Orochimaru-sama let those things come into the base, it's been almost a living nightmare. It's even worst then my angsty emo poetry writer's block, and I'm sure the readers that read it on live journal are getting pretty feisty about it. Even if they don't reply, psh.

Hn, I mean my incredibly dark soul and fabulous great dark emo looks are too hard to resist, what is not to love? But those two things…The only two that have denied it! They almost found me out too, demanding to prove to everybody I write emo poetry by showing them my emo closet.. I despise them strongly with all of my dark emo soul, and I would cut myself tonight just because I'm that angsty but Orochimaru-sama told me to do something since he's too busy browsing pictures of little boys on the internet.

Hn, and I thought I had problems…But never mind that, where was I? Oh yes, in the middle of my dark depressing emo rant, and how depressing and miserable my life is. Hn, I mean like, why did kami make human beings able to breathe, they are using all the air and not leaving it to the poor trees.. Hn, she should just take it away. Yes, just because I'm that emo.

Walking down the halls of Orochimaru's base pass the butt bow people admiring the new wallpaper Orochimaru-sama put just a week ago, a salmon slash teal type of color… Well, actually not exactly a salmon, just a bit more darker, with a pinkish hue to it... Hn, that's not the point! Past the butt bow people I walked down the halls down the corner towards the elevator. Upon entering, I noticed the elevator button pusher guy(Hn, yes Orochimaru even has a job for that) was on the elevator today. Hn, then it must be a Thursday then I thought quietly as I pressed a button for the bottom floor.

Pleasant elevator music played in the background, much to my satisfaction. Leaning in the corner of the elevator muttering dark chants under his breath, a common habit of the elevator button pusher guy's, was his figure as he then only realized I was there. Scrambling to his feet, he whimpered under the intensity of the glare I was giving him. It seems something is strange about him today..

"Hn, Billy…"I spoke suspiciously and coldly with my emo glare, making him whimper to the end of the elevator in fear of my angsty powers. "S-Sasuke-kun! I d-didn't see you there! What a-are you doing here?" He whimpered as my emo glare of doom intensed even more, as I took a step forward in his direction making him shake.

I repeated expectantly, "Hn, Billy…."

"F-fine! H-here S-Sasuke-kun…"The little man, shaking, reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar blue razor blade(my favorite razor, that bitch!)much to my annoyance as he made his way to me. Hn, hope it shows him who's his maker! After accepting it with a more intense glare of doom, the elevator came to a stop as it made a familiar ding to ensure the stop of the elevator as the metal doors slid open. Groggily walking off the shaft with a scowl, muttering under my breath, I made my way toward the doors of the dungeon.

Hn, don't ask why we have a dungeon/celler, because not even I could understand that, and personally think it's messed up. He even keeps most of his ice pops in there, if that isn't bad enough.. Suddenly a loud explosion was heard as I dashed in slow mo my way there, like those people/lifeguards on Baywatch, just because I'm that emo-ingly dashing. Finally making my way down the hall of the cellar my eyes widened with shock.

Hn, those bastards!

--xXx--

Third person POV.

Coughing from the clouds of smoke in the back round, Muffin-chan grinned at her fellow friend as it started to slowly fade away had caused her to give a frown to the dark brown haired girl in result. "See? I told you it would work!"

"Um, but I don't think that was such a good idea.."

"Er.. Why don't you think of it like this, Krazy-Kabuto tried to kill us because he's a sadistic psychopath, and we used er…Self defense, yes let's go with that. And then he just happened to fall unconscious leaving his laptop that just HAPPENED to still have Sas-gay's quizilla logged in, and then he just by some type of chance woke up and er.. Startled me.."Muffin-chan added sheepishly.

"Psh, more like scare you half to death.. You nearly screamed when you realized he was still awake and you yelled out zombie, and you freaking threw the laptop at him!" Melody objected with a grin forming on her features, making her companion do the same.

"Er.. How was I supposed to know it would blow up?" The dark haired girl asked while rubbing the back of her head, making Melody raise her brow.

"Er..Well I suppose it was kinda obvious that the smell of ice pops were in the room…Heh, heh.. And everybody knows ice pops blow up, duh."Muffin-chan added thoughtfully, making Melody shrug but none the less agree with her insane crazy friend.

"Do you think the boom sound caught the attention of the buttbow people?"Muffin-chan asked.

"Most likely." Melody answered thoughtfully.

"Er..Do you think we have a chance to still run for it before Sas-gay comes to realize his only source of emo poetry and live journal is destroyed?" Muffin-chan asked hopefully.

This time the depressing emo boy that finally made his presence known answered for her,"Hn, not likely." Blinking at the sudden entrance, Muffin-chan pouted suddenly crossing her arms before she responded to said emo boy. "That's not fair! I want to randomly pop out of no where it's all dramatic too!"

Sweat dropping at the sudden tense air,Melody tried itching away sliently but instead succeeded in accidentally tripping over the rubble causing Muffin-chan to nearly fall as well, as they both suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke, the spot they stood now empty leaving a baffled emo boy left in the dark of the celler,the smell of grape flavored ice pops in the background very faint.

"…Um, what happened?" Melody asked, rubbing the back of her head in discomfort of suddenly hitting her head a few moments before that had recently broke her fall. Blinking, Muffin-chan stood up and dusted off the dirt from her clothes before she responded to the question her friend had asked her with a frown.

"Er, I didn't mean to do that.. I was thinking about waffles with sticky yummy honey syrup, and then we appeared over here."Muffin-chan said with a sheepish shrug, making Melody glare pointingly at her friend. The usually normal light brown haired girl sighed, her bouncy bangs falling in front of her face before she responded to her dark haired friend.

"Alright, I have no idea what do do now.."She mumbled.

"Er.. Maybe some other butt bow person could find us randomly and bring us to their lair again?" She suggested.

Melody gave some thought to that suggestion, but then shook her head before answering,"Nah,we found Oro-gay-sama by chance, I doubt we could find another replacement butt bow person.."Muffin-chan frowned before her brows rose in thought, seemingly taking longer then the average human being before she answered her seemingly sane companion.

"Um, why don't we be all ninjafull and randomly find a village for shelter and waffles like all those ninja people do on television?" She asked hopefully.

"Um, waffles?"Mel-chan questioned.

She nodded happily. "Duh! We need our daily intake of sugar, remember?"

Melody said thoughtfully with a grin, "Well, we do need sugar.."

"Well, duh!"She agreed bubbly.

"But how do we find a village in the middle of no where?"Mel-chan asked.

"Er, what's that over there then?"Muffin-chan pointed towards a gigantic wooden carved gate of a unknown village, making Mel's jaw drop and giving her another infamous incredulous expression before out bursting," Why didn't you say so before?!"

Muffin-chan brightened," Because you didn't ask, silly!" Face palming her forehead at her companion's logic, she couldn't help but crack a grin and giggle before she shook her head as she then spoke again.

"Come on, let's go."

Muffin-chan blinked. "Go where?"

"Erm, the village…"

"What village?"

The one you just said.."

"Oh yeah! I totally forgot about that.."Muffin-chan added thoughtfully while tapping her chin, not taking notice of the anime sweat drop her friend was giving her. Muffin-chan shrugged and dismissing the topic before speaking again," Why are we waiting here then, lets go!"

Grabbing a hold of her friend's hand they rushed off towards the direction of the gates of the unknown village that happened to be only a few blocks away, not having took notice of the eyes that lurked in the shadows watching them from afar, and the dark dramatic music that quietly played in the background to add to its awesomely dark effects.

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**He he, Sasuke is so emo, aint he? Yups. **

**Watch the madness grow next time in chapter eight!**

**PREVIEW!**

"Wait- what?" Mel asked, looking around while turning around in circles. The man with blue eyes and blonde hair in his face rose a blond brow. Mel squinted her eyes at him, wondering why he looked so familiar. The blond man shrugged.

"Well, I said that you shouldn't walk alone into unsuspecting allyways alone, yeah." he said, grinning. Mel tilted her head.

"Why?" she asked, blinking innocently and then giving the blond man an evil smirk. THe blond man dropped his grin, his face growing purple. _Why purple? I thought people turned pink when they blushed? Oh wait... maybe he's not blushing. Maybe he's just you know, like amazed by my awesomeness. That would be understandable, because you know, I have a lot of awesomeness. It's pure too! Hm... should I share my secret awesome amazing pure awesomeness with him? I mean, he's pretty cute... but... Something is telling me that Muffin-chan would hurt me if I tried to move on him. Wait- why would I feel like that? Hm..._ Melody thought, curiously.

Suddenly, Muffin came through the opening of the alley way. She took one look at Mel and then at the blonde man. Her eyes bugged and grew ten times their original size. Then she madly ran down the alleyway screaming:

"DIEDARA-KUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"


	8. Chapter 8

**YAY! I'm soooo sorry readers that this took soooo long. It's my fault, not Bittersweet's. I've been real busy at my new school and with family problems... -sigh- ANYWAYS, here is the next chapter and you can beat me with random sticks if you think that I took too long. I dont mind. :]**

**And I noticed I aint ever done this(MWA HA HA HA! BAD GRAMMER RULES!) so I'm gonna do it now.**

**DISCLAIMER!: Me and Bittersweet sadly, but _really _wish we did, own the Naruto cast. We only own Melody and Muffin-chan... and Ink-chan, who was mentioned earlier in the story I think. So... yeah.  
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Melody's POV

"I can't believe it! A town, right when we needed it!" I exclaimed. Then I paused, glancing at Muffin-chan suspiciously. "You didn't pop it here out of nowhere, did you?" I asked. She huffed, obviously offended and annoyed.

"No!" she growled. I nodded. She must need more sugar, she was getting grumpy. I sighed, somewhat in relief, and nodded. Then started skipping into the village.

"Okie dokie!" I grinned, hyper. I usually got really hyper when I was tired and, _boy_, was I tired! So if anybody saw me they'd think I was either a hyperactive maniac or high on crack. Which, candy was my crack, which I did in fact get 'high' off of. If you understand my nonsense that is. A lot of people can't though, so it's a little sad. But my nonsense means that I can understand other people's nonsense, so that's good! Right? Left? UP! DOWN! LOL!

I really needed to get a grip… or sleep. Sleep would help a lot. I hadn't slept in hours! It seemed like ages ago that I had been back in the other world, sleeping on my queen sized bead with the silk comforter…. I whimpered. _I miss my bed!_ I thought, mentally crying hysterically. I wondered if Kabuto used his technique now, when I was tired hyper if he would _still_ be mentally scared… Probably.

I grinned, remembering Kabuto writhing on the ground, practically crying for his mommy. I wondered if he still had a mommy. Was she alive? If she was, she'd be pretty old and wrinkly. OH! Maybe she was one of those cute old people! Or was she one of those sour, call-the-cops-on-kids-who-cut-through-her-backyard kind of old person? Those ones sucked… especially back in the other world… mostly because I cut through backyards. Or was his mommy dead? That would be sad…

Maybe she was dead. That was probably the reason for his horrible dress code. I mean, his mom would have chosen him something better than _that_ if she'd been living! Poor Kabuto… poor Kabuto's mom. Poor clothes… I started to laugh at that thought, making Muffin-chan give me a weird look. I grinned back, giving her a wobbly thumbs up. She rolled her eyes and walked a little quicker through the streets of the town. I danced through the streets, moving to the music in my head.

Then I saw a motel. "MUFFIN-CHAN!" I shouted and then giggled at the funny looks people gave me. She turned to stare at me, tired herself. I pointed to the motel. "LOOKIE! IT'S A MOTEL! LIKE IN OUR WORLD! MOTELLIE THINGY SLEEPER MOBABBER!" I laughed, swaying in exhaustion. Muffin-chan came over and slapped her hand over my mouth, grinning apologies to the staring villagers.

"I'm sorry, she hasn't had her medicine today." she apologized. People grumbled and shrugged, turning their backs on us. I frowned and tapped her hand. She slowly let go.

"I don't take medicine." I told her. Her eyes widened and she gave me an urgent look.

"Shh! They don't know that!" she told me. I nodded and then walked into the motel. She followed and booked us a room under the phony names Amaya and Miyu Kurosaki. As we walked up to the room I gave her a curious, very exhausted look. "So, who is Amaya and who is Sada?" I asked. She shrugged.

"Take your pick." she mumbled tiredly. I nodded.

"I will be Amaya Kurosaki and you shall be Miyu Kurosaki! And we shall OWN!" I told him, punching my fist into the air. I then yawned loudly. Muffin-chan, AKA: Miyu Kurosaki, gave me a dry look.

"If this is you with no sleep, I don't think I'd ever want to see you wasted." she muttered and then opened the door to our room. We both collapsed onto a bed. Soon, me and Muffin-chan where in a room and sleeping soundly. It was a good thing too. We both really, _really _needed sleep.

Sasuke's POV

At first when they disappeared, I panicked. "WHERE DID THEY GO!?!? FIND THEM NOW!" I shouted the order to anybody in listening range. I ran back up the dungeon stairs and back into the elevator of pure evil doom, glaring at the guy who'd stolen my favorite blue razor. "Up, you sorry excuse for a human being." I growled. How could those two girls escape? I'd been right there and I was unstoppable. How could this be? Where? What? When? WHY?!

I face palmed my emo forehead. Why were there so many idiots here? Soon, the elevator door opened and I threw one last death glare at Billy before sweeping down the hall and running for the entrance. Karin suddenly popped out of nowhere and trailed me. I turned and bitch slapped her across the face. "Hn, leave me alone!" I shouted as I glared evilly at her. She stopped, wincing at the pain in her cheek before throwing herself to the ground and sobbing.

I shook my head and gave her a disgusted look. "Pathetic!" I spat and rushed away again. I burst through the entrance and was momentarily blinded by the wicked sun. Rubbing my eyes, I stumbled into the shaded forest. Blinking a couple of times, I rushed to the spot above the dungeon. That's when I heard the voices. I hid behind some convenient bushes and saw Muffin-chan and Melody Char. I glared at them, the only ones who'd escaped me and my emo powers.

"Come on, let's go!

"Go where?

"Erm, the village?"

"Oh yeah! I totally forgot about that…" Then they looped their arms together and skipped into the village. Dark music played as I grinned and followed them, lurking in the shadows so I would stay unseen. I followed them through the village, skillfully jumping from roof top to roof top. They soon couldn't fight their fatigue and slowed in exhaustion. Muttering to the other they both seemd unhappy.

Suddenly, Melody Char pointed to a motel. "LOOKIE! IT'S A MOTEL! LIKE IN OUR WORLD! MOTELLIE THINGY SLEEPER MOBABBER!" she laughed, sounding hyper. _But she looked so tired, how could she be hyper? _I wondered and then just shrugged it off. _Wait- what does she mean, 'their world'?_ I pondered. It was an odd thing to yell, since what other world would there be besides this one? But what if that was wrong…. What if there were other worlds?! And they were from another? Were they spies? Had the accidentally been summoned here? How had they transferred to one world to another?

Questions swarmed my mind like angry bees. I watched as Muffin-chan ran over and covered Melody Char's mouth with her hand. Slowly, they went into the motel and signed their names in. I waited four minutes after they had walked up the stairs until I jumped down from the roof and entered the motel.

A girl dressed in a blue business suit looked up. Her eyes drew me in, instantly melted and she smiled seductively at me. "What can I do for you?" she purred. I smirked at her and leaned across the counter, acting like my cool emo self.

"Those two girls that just signed in… can I have their names and room?" I asked her and looked her in the eyes. She fluttered her lashes and smiled again.

"Why would you want anything to do with those weirdos?" she asked, pouting. I shrugged.

"They… ran away from my…settlement." I said evasively. She opened her mouth to object more, but I threw her a soft glare. "Just give me the names and room." I snapped. She gulped, a sudden fear in her eyes. Quickly and fumbling she reached for the clipboard and thrust it towards me.

"Here!" she said quickly. I scanned through the list. I found them at the very bottom. Miyu and Amaya Kurosaki in Room 472, third floor. I nodded, tossed the clipboard back to the girl and walked up the steps. I quickly found the room and slipped inside. What I saw made me smirk. They were on their beds, sleeping soundly. Muffin-chan was curled up on the bed on the bed to the left side of the room. Melody was curled up too and hugging a pillow, on the right bed. She turned in her sleep, a frown on her face.

Her lips moved, murmuring soft words that I couldn't pick up. I tried to walk closer, just to listen to what she was murmuring in her sleep. Muffin-chan stirred herself and muttering a tart: "Stupid pancakes, stop running away! I will eat you, dammit!" I quirked a small smile. They were quite harmless and amusing when they slept, I had to admit. I sat down in between the beds, closing my eyes and listening to them.

Melody started to murmur in her sleep again. "I hate him… Why did he do that?" she murmured and turned again, now facing me. Her face was tight with anger. "Stabbed them all in the back, the bastard. After they accepted his sorry-ass too. I hate him…" she breathed and she curled up even tighter. I peeked my eyes open and stared at her through the edges of my eyes. What was she talking about? Who did she hate? Someone from 'her world'? I frowned and got back up.

There was light in the far off distance. Dawn was approaching quickly and they would be waking up soon. Somewhat reluctantly, I went to the window and jumped out. I summoned a small snake and wrote a letter to Orochimaru. All it said was:

_Stalking the prey._

I tied the letter across the snakes neck. It glanced up at me. "Orochimaru-sama?" it hissed. I nodded silently. It flicked it forked tongue and without another glance, slithered away. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. Silently, I waited for Muffin-chan and Melody to walk out of the motel.

xXxXx

Mel's POV

I yawned and stretched as I rose. I tried to recall my dreams but a black void walled my memory. Sighing, I rose and walked to the shower. I took a quick one and then redressed. It felt nice to shower, since all that rubble and explosions at Orochimaru had gotten me and Muffin-chan quite dirty. I wondered how the butt-bow people dealed with it…

I walked out, brushing my wet hair. Muffin-chan sleepily stumbled past me and closed the bathroom door. I chuckled, was she always this zombie like in the morning? It was funny. I yawned again and stretched, hearing my back pop. Sighing, I waited for Muffin-chan to finish taking her shower. While I was waiting I looked around the room for something to entertain me… Sadly, there was nothing.

I walked over to the bathroom door and banged on it. "MUFFIN-CHAN! I'M GOING TO GO INTO TOWN! MEET UP WITH YOU LATER!" I shouted. I heard a muffled response and nodded. I hoped that was ok because, either way, I was going out to town. I pulled on my black sneakers and walked out the door. When I passed the clerk I smiled her way. But her attitude for us had changed completely! Last night she'd been warm and welcoming. Now she glared at me coldly and huffed.

I wondered what I'd done wrong… But I just shrugged it off and walked past. "Bitch." I heard her mutter. I stopped and slid a glare at her. Something flashed in her eyes but she quickly hid it with her own glare.

"Look who's talking. Though, maybe, your more of a bitchy whore than just a bitch." I snarled. She looked taken aback and I smiled innocently at her. "Have a nice day!" I sang as I skipped out of the room. The town was bustling with life, with people rushing through the streets and vendors. It was really cool, to be honest. Much better than my old town, which was small and boring. This was such an improvement!

I gave a little squeak of excitement and then started to run around, peeking at some of the things on the market. There was a lot of pretty items. But I didn't have any money… that sucked. Where was Muffin-chan to make money suddenly appear out of thin air when you needed her! Darn it. Oh well, I guess I could earn money somehow… I looked at my surroundings. How could I earn a buck or two?

There was a game of petty duels down the street. I didn't have a weapon, but then… there was that mysterious element thing I could do. It would get me some money if I won and help me exercise that weird mystery thingy with the elements doing stuff I wanted. Grinning, I raced down and slammed down the only valuable thing I had. Which was my crystal teardrop necklace on the silver chain. The betting man took it an examined it. Once he was sure it was real he nodded.

"You go up against 'Sada The Jaded'." he told me sourly. I giggled. That was a funny title. Pure One the Tainted? How…creative! I wanted a title!!! The guy squinted at me. "Your name?"

"Mel The Badass!" I told him evenly. He nodded and wrote that down, seeming accustomed to weird names. I skipped off and waited for my turn. Soon, my name and the creative name was called. A chick with white hair and glowing silver eyes walked up.

"I'm going to make you wish you'd never called yourself badass." she smirked. I nodded.

"Ok. I didn't think it was very creative like your name, but hey, I tried. This is actually my first street fight. At least… in this place. At my old… home…" I chuckled. "I actually was quite a badass, but that was because I had authority problems. You know?" I said, only taking one breath for the whole thing. She looked bored.

"Whatever, just fight!" she yelled the last word and charged me. Which was stupid. All I had to do was step out of the way. Sada stumbled and fell to the floor. I thought hard about the stone floor coming around and locking her in place. Suddenly, the ground shook and the stone road crumbled and rose upwards. Then it wrapped around Sada. I laughed, pointing to her struggling form.

"You look like a burrito!" I told her, still laughing. She sent me a backwards glare. After struggling some more she finally gave up and declared forfeit. I smiled and asked, "Who's a badass?"

She sighed dejectedly. "You are." I smiled and thought of the stone going back to the way it was. Slowly, it did so. I suddenly felt a little tired, but I pushed it away. I'd just taken a eight hour nap! It was probably nothing. Smiling I went to collect my money. Oh, yay- I'd made 20 ryos! I had money!!! I could buy stuff!

But my tummy told me otherwise. I needed to buy _food._ So, instead of going back to the market, I walked to the food stands. But just before that somebody grabbed me from the shadows of a alley way. It was Sada! Now what did she want? She glared at me.

"Give me the money! I deserve it, not some tourist!" she growled. I raised a brow.

"You do? Who says I'm some tourist anyways?" I asked her, frowning. She laughed bitterly.

"I live here, you dummy. I've never seen you before." she spat. I nodded, understandingly. Then I just smiled.

"Well, I guess I'm just more sneaky then you, eh?" I giggled. She glared and took out a gleaming katana. My eyes darted to it. "OOH! SHINY!" I squealed. I then sighed. "I wish I had one, but my friend wont pop one out of thin air for me. I don't know why, but I think she just wants her pancakes most the time and then after she does that she gets all tired and doesn't want to pop anything for me…. It's sad really, don't you think?" I nodded at her, grinning. She rolled her eyes.

"Shut up and fight me bitch." she snapped, getting into a fighting stance. I frowned and made the tisk tisk motions with my fingers. That was the second time today I'd been called a bitch. I seriously wasn't...most the time.

"That's a naughty word. I should wash your mouth out with soap! Which, trust me for reasons I do _NOT_ want to explain, tastes very bad." I said matter of factly. She groaned with impatience and then started at me.

"FINE! I'LL ATTACK FIRST! GET READY TO FEEL THE BURN!" she screamed, rushing towards me with that anime determined face. I sighed and stepped aside just at the right time. She lost balance and tripped, falling right on her face. I shook my head.

"That was a horrible battle cry." I told her flatly. I thought about fire coming up and hitting her butt. Almost immediately it did so. I grinned and thought: _So cool!_ She screamed as her booty caught fire. I laughed so hard, that if I'd been drinking chocolate milk, it would have most likely come out of my nose. Which would have made me laugh harder. I watched as the girl got up and started slapping her butt. I think I would have died of laughter had not someone grabbed me from behind. I stiffened.

"Put her out." someone whispered. The voice sounded familiar, but I didn't remember it. I ground my teeth together and then thought about the fire going away. It did so, but slowly, almost reluctantly. Like it was how I was feeling. Wowie. "Now, give her the money."

"Why? I won it fair and square!"

"I'll give you a sword."

"OOH!!!! IS IT SHINY?!?"

"Sure."

"Can you let go of me so I can get the money and Frankie."

"Frankie?"

"Yeah, my new sword! I'm naming him Frank." I said, brightening. I heard a soft groan and a shake of someone's head. I wondered who this could be. This person really did sound familiar…

"I seriously will never understand you… or your friend."

"Nobody ever will… wait- how did you know about Muffin-" Something hard hit my head and I slipped to the ground. My eyes rolled up into my head and the darkness misted around me.

* * *

I wearily opened my eyes. The sky was dusky and a pale purple. Could it be that late? Had I been knocked out for hours or minutes? I couldn't really tell, since you never really knew how much time you'd been sleeping. It felt like minutes to me, but obviously it was more like hours according to the sky. I stumbled to my feet and looked around.

Then, gasping, I remembered the weird person who'd been slightly familiar and the girl and my money and Frankie! I searched my pockets to find they'd been emptied and sighed. "Stupid person, jacked my hard earned money!" I muttered distastefully and looked around. "Dammit! HE DIDN'T LEAVE-" I started to shout. But when I kicked the ground stubbornly my foot hit something hard. "SON OF A BISCUIT, THAT HURT!!!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. Angrily hopping on one foot, I looked down to scowl at what had hit my toesies.

I gasped and forgot about the pain in my foot. "FRANKIE!!!!!" I squealed as I scooped him up. "I thought the random person who I think I know forgot to give you to me! He held you ransom, didn't he. Or was it a she? Let's just call it an It. I love you Frankie." I told my new sword. It was a katana, slim and shiny with a plain black handle. I shook my head. "Poor Frankie, your in such horrible condition. Well, I'll just have to spice ya up later. Maybe add a dragon imprint and a sapphire-"

"It's not safe to be alone in a dark alleyway, yeah." someone interrupted. I turned around to look into the darkness. There was a silhouette creeping up on me from the sun. I blinked and shaded my eyes with my hand. What I saw took my breath away. A hot guy… with blond hair and blue eyes. I grinned at him, suddenly loosing my whole train of thought. If I hadn't loved Frankie so much, I think I'd have dropped him. Good thing I love him to death.

I came out of my mind to blink at him. "Oh… um…" I was still speechless. He was so pwetty… and familiar. Where had I seen that jacket? I know I know that jacket. Red clouds…. Black background and that haircut. My buttery pancakes, he was hot… and SO DARN FAMILIAR! I heard him mutter something.

""Wait- what?" I asked, blinking groggily. It was so easy to get lost in my head. Sometimes, I wondered if me thinking resulted in danger…. The man with blue eyes and blond hair in his face rose a blond brow. I squinted my eyes at him, wondering why he looked so familiar. It was on the tip of my tongue! The blond man shrugged.

"Well, I said that you shouldn't walk alone into unsuspecting alleyways alone, yeah. Someone can like, attack you or steal from you." he said, grinning lightly. I tilted my head and decided to tell him the truth.

"But that _is _what happened to me." I said, blinking innocently and then giving the blond man an evil smirk. The blond man dropped his grin, his face growing purple. _Why purple? I thought people turned pink when they blushed? Oh wait... maybe he's not blushing. Maybe he's just you know, like amazed by my awesomeness. That would be understandable, because you know, I have a lot of awesomeness. It's pure too! Hm... should I share my secret awesome amazing pure awesomeness with him? I mean, he's pretty cute... but... Something is telling me that Muffin-chan would hurt me if I tried to move on him. Wait- why would I feel like that? Hm... _I thought curiously.

Suddenly, Muffin came through the opening of the alley way. She took one look at me and then at the blond man. Her eyes bugged and grew ten times their original size. Wow, that looked funky. Why did anime worlds do that? Oh well. Anyways, Muffin-chan squealed loudly. Then she madly ran down the alleyway screaming:

**_"DIEDARA-KUN!!!"_**

_

* * *

_**He he he, hows that for your chapter? I really am sorry that this chapter is so late.**

**Please review!!!!**

**Ja'ne!,**

**Tears and Bittersweet! :3  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9!!!!! Wow, Bittersweet wrote fast, eh? The next chapter... maybe not so fast. He he he.... yeah. So enjoy!**

**And oh yeah. Me and Bittersweet were talking. We would REALLY _REALLY REALLY _appreciate more readers to review. WE only have one person who is reviewing faithfully. A HUGE thanks to mysticalwaters. You make us find a point to writing this. So you readers, you might want to review or me and Bittersweet might not want to write anymore. And we know you read. So please, for the sake of sugar and the Akastuki that have finally been brought into the story, review. Even if it's just a: good job, keep it up'. that is only 5 words guys. You can do it. I think. Please?**

**DISCLAIMER!: Me and Bittersweet do not own the Naruto cast. [SADLY! Except, I wouldn't want anybody who wore buttbows... and I don't think Bittersweet would either. They are too mentally scaring. And no, to you Sasuke-fans, Sasuke is no exception. He's too emo for his own good. ;)] We do own:**

**Muffin-chan**

**Melody Char**

**(Bittersweet Owns) Ink (she was mentioned earlier in the story)**

**and 'THE PLOT!' -evil dramatic music plays as in background Tears and Bittersweet laugh manically- **

**Read and enjoy!  
**

* * *

Muffin-chan's POV:

I suddenly heard a bang on the bathroom door before I heard my companion shout over the running shower, "Muffin-chan! I'm going into town because I thought I saw a person giving out free peanuts! Meet up with you later!"**(A/N: We all know what Melody really said was: "Muffin-chan! I'm going to go into town! Meet up with you later!)**

I grinned,"'Kay,I'll meet up with you in the middle of the village in a couple of hours! Ooh,I do hope they sell sugar over there.."

A few moments later I heard the thick hotel door slam closed,as I continued with my warm shower. Actually it wasn't exactly a full,'shower',it was basically a mix in between a shower and bathtub. They were funky,you couldn't really find it in the universe of Naruto anywhere but a hotel room;But the point is,not only do you get fuzzy bubbles in your bubble bath,but you get to play with your rubber duckie too! Just I don't have a rubber duckie,which really blows the whole bubble bath concept…

Well,unless you add bubbles and a duck,duh. But if you don't have a rubber duck,nor bubbles,then its just called a gigantic hole with dirty sink water,also for the other fact that it is suspiciously warm in that one area… Turning the shower/bath knob to stop any incoming water,I stepped out of the shower thingy with a cloud of mist. Frowning,I wrapped the towel around my body before digging my bag for my clothes.

I suddenly gasped in utmost shock:I realized that I barely had any coolio-looking ninja clothes;I glanced around feverishly,as if I expected there would be a wad of cash lying around somewhere. I pouted,"Darn! If only I had more cash,not only would I be able to buy awesome ninja clothes,but I'd be able to buy more sugar too!"

As if on cue,it felt like something fell literally from the sky. Unfortunately -Coolio, big word!- it happened to fall upon my head before rolling across the carpet until it reached under the bed. With a scowl I rubbed my newly bruised head,before crouching down to find what the plushie gave me now;For it also seems that it does not like me very much no more. Reaching under,I grasped the dirty hotel carpet floor a few times before I felt the object slide in between my fingers.

Coming back up to what seemed to be the surface, I suddenly heard a slight knock at the door. Rushing to pull on at least a full set of decent clothes,it took me about thirty seconds until I fully reached the door. Pushing the door slowly open with a creek,I glanced both ways of the halls with a frown tugging at my lips. Dramatic music was suspiciously playing in the background,before thinking aloud my thoughts.

I frowned,"That's strange,I thought I heard somebody.. Oh well!"I focused on the thick green wad in my hand,only just realizing what it really was. I rubbed my eyes a few times just to really make sure that it was there,in front of me. I grinned before skipping out the door chanting,"Yay! Awesome fish-net clothing, here I come!"

---xXx---

Sasuke watched the slow morning go by inside the confinement of his waste basket,cloaked from the abhorrence that is the sun. Irritated,the meager emo boy reflected the events of the previous night. He didn't know what to be more abashed at; The new found information that the two vexatious teenage girls were from another world,or the thought that HIS Mel-chan was troubled. …Wait,where the _hell _did that come from? Ahem, that _Melody, _who was _not his_,was troubled. And also for the fact this sun didn't help the gloomy boy either.

There he saw his chance,that was busy happily bobbing her head as she skipped through the crowd of people,ignoring all the strange stares they sent her way. He knew it wasn't his prey…. Ahem his target, but she would at least eventually lead him to her. Seeing the only way of fixing the center of his ego-damaged pride walk away in the distance, Sasuke did a quick hand seal before ninja-poofing off.

Muffin-chan stared at all of the product with intense awe,never in her whole life had she saw something more beautiful. In front of the young teenager was almost literally a mountain of packed sugar,all stacked neatly according to size and brand. Muffin-chan examined the various packs of sugar carefully with a expression that attempted to look serious,but the tongue hanging out of her mouth said otherwise. "Three quarts,three pounds,four ounces… So beautiful, it's the only thing I actually use my brain for!"

"It seems like you know your stuff."A voice not too far away from her spoke,as Muffin-chan turned around to face the direction of the figure that talked. Muffin-chan squinted her eyes suspiciously at the man in front of her,something not feeling quite right with this guy. Mentally dismissing the feeling,she responded to the man who was busy eyeing her precious sugar,"Er..Who are you?"

The seemingly short man was about typically middle age,already with a bald spot growing in the middle of his head. He was attired in a business suit a bit too formal to wear on a normal grocery hunt through the small store,with shabby large glasses and a noticeable large plump in the middle of his stomach. The man smirked suddenly before holding out a small business card and replying,"Greene. Edward K. Greene. Contact me if you ever have any financial aid."

Muffin-chan twitched before abruptly out bursting the feeling of distrust that previously was in her gut moments before,"Your.. Your.. You're a freakin' financier!"

"Yes miss,but if you would listen to my long,boring,dull five minute speech,I'm sure by some miracle I can convince you to get insurance for increased health rate!"

"Oh no,not health rate!"

"But miss…"

--xXx--

Sasuke didn't watch the scene unfold mostly for the reason that he was distracted by the evil warm rays coming from the sky. Actually if you didn't notice,the market place was completely outside. The outside world,which Sasuke hated;There were actual human beings,that breathed his air! But the worst part of it all,in it's emo disaster was…The terrifying warm rays of doooom. What Sasuke hated more then people,more then people destroying his only source of quizilla and live journal,and more then the two teenage girls,were.. The evil sun of dooom.

It totally didn't do his pale emo complexion any good,and BOP! Magazine said in that article last June that sun like,so totally didn't do depressing people any good. "Hey Tim,throw that away too, kay?" Suddenly the lid of Sasuke's trashcan opened,revealing a intake of the sun's rays enter the small compartment to which he hissed at in rage. Then,a nasty smelling bag of garbage was dumped upon the onyx haired boy,temporarily blinding his line of vision.

Sasuke scowled,"Hn, dammit!"

Muffin-chan was getting more and more cranky,it not at all being related to the financier in front of her that was droning out boring offers of his banking company. No,that wasn't it at all.. Actually it had to do more with the fact that she was wasting time from having her precious sugar,and if she didn't have her sugar at a certain time,things could get ugly for the normally random teenage girl.

She tapped her foot impatiently,waiting for the financier to get bored and leave her alone. But apparently that wasn't going to be the case,seeing the financier determined face he wasn't going to let this one slip."-And the stock rates went up fifty percent this year,thus giving our company the opportunity to buy health care insurance for our workers,and-"

Sasuke just had almost enough of all of this nonsense. He felt like marching down there and walking in the middle of the street to face his ultimate enemy,the only thing following close behind him would be his shadow. Taking in a deep breath,the emo teenage boy slowly extracted himself from the little prison his numb legs were recently trapped in as he slowly walked into the light. The raven haired boy clutched his fist towards the skies ignoring the people staring at his figure before crying out in the middle of the street, "I am your maker!"

Muffin-chan sighed in exasperation before finally going with the decision of tripping the nerd and making a run for it,but that idea vanished after she took one longing glance at the packs of sugar. She grinned knowingly before slowly itching towards the mountain of correctly packed sugar,a plan forming in the mist of wherever her brain should be located.

Sasuke strode proudly in the direction of the small market place,his ego and self esteem distracting him from taking notice of the forming chaos not too far away. By some type of chance,in a really messed up way,things began to click into place. The second Sasuke just happened to step foot in the sugar section the teenage girl had pulled the base of the mountain,AKA the bottom packet of the mountain of sugar. Walking away from the small store while hugging the sugar packet close to her heart,she ignored the mountain that had started to tumble down as she exited the small food market place.

Unfortunately Sasuke has a habit of being at the wrong place at the wrong time,for he found this out a little bit too late as the emo boy laid face down in the dirt. Nearly thirty pounds of sugar restricted him from moving a muscle,but it didn't stop him from groaning as he felt a sharp business card poke him in the arm and an annoying voice that asked,"Do you need insurance?"

--xXx--

Just exiting the store after purchasing really awesome fishnet clothing for Mel-chan -if she wanted it,that is- and for myself,I walked down the streets now dressed in my awesome neon ninja clothes. Very sneaky, eh? I grinned evilly at all of the bags I bought;They had a fifty percent sale for awesome ninja clothing. I mean like,who wouldn't buy that? Well,unless you're a depressing emo boy who has a bad fashion sense and wears butt bows all day,then that's another story… Oh wow,that really reminds me of somebody,but I can't put my finger on it… But that's besides the point,Muffin-chan doesn't exactly shop for actual clothes. I only buy awesome ninja clothing,duh. I mean like,who wouldn't like awesome ninja clothing,duh!

All of a sudden I had this really strange feeling to go down a deserted alley way and hurt somebody,as a frown tugged at my lips. Now why would I want to hurt somebody,everybody knows violence is not the answer,duh. Besides,my mommy trained me not to go down deserted alleyways alone,but this didn't look like something that had been abandoned. Actually,it looked like many people have visited it.

I mean,it's not like I'm going to be alone in the alleyway for long,I'm bound to run into somebody,duh! I do hope they have sugar with them though.. I saw the people on television put sugar into sandwich baggies and give them to their friends,but the police keep on getting jealous in all the movies and ruin them by shooting everybody! I mean like,way to ruin a perfectly good movie,duh. Deciding that I should indeed walk down the alleyway and ignore the strange creepy vibes it gave,I walked in the direction that looked pretty unsafe and stuff. I mean like,in all the movies that's like the yellow brick road to getting your sugar in sandwich baggies,duh!

Entering the opening of another alleyway,I suddenly recognized my light brown haired companion not too far away from myself. Wow,does that mean Mel-chan knows about the sugar baggie people too? Glancing to who her baggie person was,I felt the blood in my face drain completely. All of a sudden I felt my eyes grow wide,nearly bugging out of my sockets. All of a sudden I squealed loud;Ignoring the fact the blond man was busy having a nosebleed,as I ran across the alleyway screaming,

"DEIDARA-KUN!"

* * *

**Oh, such hilarity, no? You gotta love Muffin-chan's logic. -nods-**

**So I'm going to repeat this, so you don't forget.**

**Me and Bittersweet were talking. We would REALLY _REALLY REALLY _appreciate more readers to review. WE only have one person who is reviewing faithfully. A HUGE thanks to mysticalwaters. You make us find a point to writing this. So you readers, you might want to review or me and Bittersweet might not want to write anymore. And we know you read. So please, for the sake of sugar and the Akastuki that have finally been brought into the story, review. Even if it's just a: good job, keep it up'. that is only 5 words guys. You can do it. I think. Please?**

**lol, don't u love us? he he he. =D**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing(hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge!).**

**Ja'ne!**

**Bittersweet and Tears  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**TEARS: Well, don't we have a surprise for you! Besides updating, Bittersweet is going to be talking today! Bye guys, hope ya enjoy! -Tears leaves-  
**

**Me: Hello,readers!**

**Muffin-chan: And buttbow people! Don't forget the buttbow!**

**Me: *Sweatdrops.* Yeah,that too. It's me,Bittersweet. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter .fall wrote for you guys,she put a lot of elbow grease into it! ...Wait,did I spell that right?**

**Muffin-chan: ..Spell what?**

**Me: That!**

**Muffin-chan: ..That what?**

**Me: *Sweatdrops.* Well,here is the story. Please read and review,we would really appreciate it!**

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CHAPTER TEN!!!

She ran down the alleyway like a freakin bullet. Muffin-chan launched herself at the unsuspecting blonde wearing that amazing black cloak. Suddenly I realized who this was too. God, I was so freakin _slow_. "OMG! DIEDARA!!!" I tried to launch myself too, but then I heard the innocent curious voice.

"Sempai, where did the pretty ladies come from?" I turned around and squealed. Tobi stood there, scratching his black hair, head tilting, holding a pink lollipop. Muffin-chan latched herself to Diedara, who was sweatdropping. Muffin-chan's legs were wrapped around Diedara's waist, arms loosely around his neck and her head resting on his head. Diedara looked at Tobi.

"…run!" he choked out. Tobi looked confused, well, as confused as someone wearing an orange mask could get. I skipped over to him, smiling broadly.

"Tobi-kun, your such a good boy." I told him. He grinned, at least, I'm pretty sure he did. He pointed at himself.

"Tobi always is a good boy!" he exclaimed proudly. I nodded and suddenly latched myself onto him, hugging hard. THIS WAS SO AMAZING! THE AKATSUKI WERE HERE! Tobi squealed and hugged me back, anime crying. "TOBI IS LOVED!" he cried out. I laughed and tried to let go. But Tobi would not release me.

"ARGH!" I screamed and shook madly to get the orange-masked good boy off. Suddenly a sadistic emotionless voice said:

"Tobi, get off her." Tobi did so, although he did so with what seemed was reluctance. He pouted.

"But Tobi likes hugging pretty lady!" he complained. I turned around and was face to face with Itachi Uchiha. My mouth dropped and I think even Muffin-chan gasped. I looked at him, towering a head taller than me. Makes sense, since I was like fifteen and he was what… _twenty_-_five_?** (A/N: In reality, he's actually only twenty**.) I broke out into a grin and ran forward.

"ITCHY-SAN!" I shouted and attached myself to him. He quickly peeled me off, glaring with his sharingan. I glared right back, holding my breath so that my cheeks poofed out. It looked ridiculous. I knew and so did Itachi, who gave me a weird look. I laughed at his expression, pointing and falling on my rear. "You looked so funny!" I exclaimed. Tobi started laughing too, but then he dropped his lollipop and started to cry anime tears.

I glanced at him and pursed my lips. I looked back at Itachi. "Does he have a bipolar disorder?" I asked behind my hand. Tobi looked at me and smiled.

"Tobi's a good boy!" he cried out, laughing. I frowned and inched away from the bipolar good-boy. Muffin-chan was being ripped away from Diedara by Kisame. She was clinging to him like he was life itself. _Maybe she thinks he is her source of life_, I thought and chuckled. _Well, besides sugar of coarse. Hm, maybe sugar is like her crack then. Well, good. Now she has her source of life and her crack. All we need now is pancakes and pumpkin muffins. _I smiled at my rambling thoughts. Then I looked back up at Itachi.

"Your brother is a baka." I told him suddenly. Itachi quirked a smile, making it look evil and oh so hot. I envied that quality.

"So you've met my younger brother?"

"Met him? Psh, that's an understatement." I muttered.

"He pushed her up against a wall and put his katana against her throat." Muffin-chan called out, still on Diedara. I looked over at her and sighed. I gave her a pointed look. Seriously, Diedara was having a lot of nosebleeds and was swaying dangerously. Maybe he wasn't used to teenage fan girls clinging to him. Most the Akatsuki probably wasn't used to _females_ in general. Hey, I didn't think they had time for girlfriends. Who would when your planning to create the most powerful weapon in the world? That probably takes up most of your life.

I got up and smiled at all four of the Akastuki members. Then I frowned. "Where is Hidan? Kazuku? Zetsu? Konan? Although, I'm pretty sure Pein is at the base. Is he not?" I asked. Muffin-chan jumped off Diedara to come stand next to me. She sighed and thought about that.

"I'm pretty sure he would be, Mel-chan. I mean, would you leave your evil master base just to get attacked by fan girls?" she asked, grinning. I grinned back and laughed. But then I got sad and sighed.

"Is Sasori dead yet?" I asked, looking up sadly. Tears gathered in my eyes. My favorite Akatsuki member was going to be the first to die. It _sucked_. I mean, he'd had a horrible past and a horrible future. I looked at Tobi, who was sighing dejectedly. That brought me spirits up a bit. Maybe he hadn't died yet. I would get to meet my fav Akastuki member! "Good, he hasn't. Tobi would have been wearing his ring if he was." I muttered to myself, smiling. Muffin-chan gave me a hard look.

I knew what she was implying. I needed to stop telling them what I knew because people were not supposed to know so much about the organization. But hell, I couldn't help myself. I was so sad about Sasori dying. I'd loved him like a true fan girl should and had felt so sad about his past. I mean, his parents were _brutally murdered!_ Wouldn't anyone by sad about that? I certainly was! Itachi looked at me funny.

"How do you know that?" he asked, suspicion clear in his voice. Muffin-chan sent me a sharp look. Again, I knew what she was saying in those angry eyes. _'Nice going, Mel-chan.'_ And I was pretty sure that was sarcasm I detected. I sighed and shrugged.

"Well, according to my sister, our family is half-psychic. With her it's more leaning toward pregnancies but with me it's with death. Quite funny, if not morbid." I told them, matter of factly. It was true, actually. Back in the other world me and my sister would always say something and it would come true. Like I said that that dumb cat across the street was going to be run over soon if it wasn't careful. The next morning it was dead in the street. Sis said that she thought our older sister Sara should get pregnant with a baby girl. Guess what? A week later we got the news… and it ended up _being_ a little girl.

So in the end, we'd called ourselves half-psychic. It didn't always work, but hey, we were right 50% of the time. Everyone stopped and gave me a weird look. I blinked and looked around, suddenly very embarrassed to admit that fact. "You can predict death?" someone asked, I didn't note who. I looked at the ground and shook my hair so that it fell from where it was tucked behind my ears and curtained my face. I should have kept my mouth shut. Lies were sometimes easier than the truth, ya know? Sometimes you just had to lie to fit in… but then again, I was never one for 'fitting in'.

Suddenly there was a bag shoved into my face. I yelped and took a step back. It was… a bag of sugar? I glanced over to see a smiling Muffin-chan. "You need sugar, your face is getting red. I obviously assumed you were getting low on your supply." she told me. I stared at her and then smiled. I took the bag and poured some into my palm, then tipped my head back and poured the sugar in my mouth. It dissolved on my tongue and I swallowed. I giggled as I felt the affects warming up.

"HYPER!!!!!!!" I screamed and ran over to Diedara, latching onto his leg and giggling maniacally. Diedara's shoulders sagged and he got purple again.

"Just when I got one off me, the other jumps on." he muttered unhappily. I giggled at the innuendo he didn't realize he'd said. Or did he? That would be kinda funny. I'd never taken Die-chan as the closet pervert. Hey, I was only like this because I hung out with a lot of guys back home. If you didn't get something, they'd explain it. So naturally, I'd grown used to hearing innuendos and perverted jokes. It was kinda funny because they actually accepted me as one of the guys. I remembered a particular incident…

_Flashback!_

"_Why do you even sit at our table, Mel?" asked Brandon, munching on his pizza crust. I sighed, slightly annoyed. I'd answered this question before, plenty of times actually. I put down my apple juice and rolled my eyes as I turned to face Brandon. He didn't used to like me sitting at the table, but now he'd grown used to having me here. Zack had said once that he'd even asked where I was that day I got sick last week._

"_Because we're more fun and girls are too dramatic for her taste!" Harry interjected and I turned back to beam at him. At least he'd been listening. As most of us teased him about, he was the 'mother figure' of the group. Seriously, Harry was the leader. Always had been. He smiled his goofy smile back._

_Tim rolled his eyes at me and munches on his sour gummy worms. Then he looked at my lunch baggie and I swear, we all heard his stomach rumble. I rolled my eyes and tore off half my turkey sandwich and handed him it. "Moocher." I muttered, smiling. He laughed and munched on his new food hungrily._

_But now I had to toss Brandon my chips, because his stomach was a bottomless pit and he always complained I fed Tim too much. He grinned and caught them, setting them beside his school milk. Harry and Zack rolled their eyes at me and I smiled in return. _

_Suddenly I heard someone say something that caught my attention. "Can I have some of your water?" I looked at Brandon, wide eyed. Then, simultaneously, we all burst into laughter. Brandon rolled his eyes as I nodded, still laughing, yes. He waterfall'ed it and then tossed it back, glaring but smiling._

"_Mel, your just like us. Your one of the guys." he muttered. I smirked and shrugged a response._

_End of the Flashback!_

Damn, I hated flashbacks. I mean, they were so common in this place! I scowled and tightly hugged Diedara's leg tighter. He yelped. "YOUR CUTTING OFF MY CIRCULATION, YEAH! GET OFF ME!!!" he screamed, shaking his leg wildly. I shook with it, my pupils rolling inside my own eye balls. Another anime thing that made you do stuff that shouldn't be possible. Like jaws actually hitting the floor or your head getting blown up the size of a hot air balloon. But then again, it was kinda funny. Ya know?

Muffin-chan glared, huffing. "I thought we agreed! DIEDARA'S MINE!" she shouted and launched back onto him. Now it looked like he was giving her a piggy back ride. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, arms around his neck and chin resting on his ponytail. She smiled smugly. "I win. I have a better clinging spot. You just look like a child hugging their father. I look like the hot girlfriend… WITH SUGAR!" she laughed.

Diedara stopped moving and sweat dropped. He looked at his other Akastuki members. "Help me! Their monsters, uhn!!!!" he yelled. Itachi tried not to smirk, Kisame burst out laughing and Tobi was sucking on another lollipop. Distantly, I wondered where he'd gotten it. Maybe his robe… yeah, you never knew what was under those things. For all you'd know, they weren't even wearing pants!

Wait… I don't think I want to think about that. I sighed. "Fine, you win Muffin-chan." I muttered and let go of Diedara. He took a couple of steps back, eying me fearfully. I gave him a sour look in return. Then I slowly smirked and his face paled. "Have fun with your guy's…. tea parties." I told him, grinning madly. He gave me a wary look. Muffin-chan laughed loudly and hugged Die-chan more tightly.

"Yes, we're going to have an amazing time at our tea party." she giggled. All the Akastuki sweat dropped worriedly. Itachi then walked up to Diedara and Muffin-chan.

"Detach yourself from him and put your hands were I can see them. You too, other girl." he snapped. I rolled my eyes.

"Why should I?" I snapped. He glared.

"You know too much about our organization. We're going to have to take you to our temporary base. Pein will determine your fate." he told us. Wow. I hope it wasn't death… that would be pretty morbid. I didn't want to die either. Dying wouldn't be good, because then what would my mother say? She was probably already worried sick from me being missing for so long.

Muffin-chan huffed and sent me an annoyed look. I shrugged. It wasn't my fault Sasori died and I felt bad. It _was_ my fault though that I had a big mouth though. Hmmm, maybe this situation was my fault. She sighed and pouted at Itachi.

"But I don't want too get off! I won't run away, I promise! Just let me hold onto my Diedara-kun!" Muffin-chan gave him some puppy-eyes. They worked like a charm. Hm, now I knew a secret weapon against Itachi! He was a sucker for puppy-eyes. Itachi sighed.

"Fine, but if you try and escape…"

"As long as I'm near Diedara-kun and have a bunch of sugar, I'm not going anywhere!" she said happily. Then her face grew serious. "I mean that. I want my sugar every day, with every meal and for snack time." she snapped. Itachi gave her a weird look.

"Su-"

"Itachi-san, we should get going. Pein will be wondering what is taking us so long." Kisame interjected. Itachi gave him a cold glare but nodded mutely. I backed up against the alleyway brick wall, contemplating all of this. Should we really be going with the Akastuki…? I sighed and then shrugged. Eh, what the hell. Then I grinned. We could have some fun with the group.

Kisame looked at me. "Come on girlie." he said dully and I frowned.

"My _name_ is Melody." I snapped angrily. I was not a _girlie_. I was a tomboy. Kisame laughed and shook his head. I wondered if he'd been born blue or if he'd just undergone some blue dye incident. I mean, who was really that _blue_? Nobody I knew… except him, at least. I jogged up beside him as we all started down the alleyway. I guess we were going with the Akastuki. Well… at least Orochiamru's goons wouldn't find us.

He laughed and clapped me on the back. I choked and then sent him a light glare. He laughed again. "Sorry girlie. Sometimes I don't know my own strength."

"Shut up, blue boy." I snapped and crossed my arms over my chest. Just because he was stronger than me didn't give him the right to brag. I needed to train, that's all. _PLUS_, I needed awesome ninja clothes! You can't be a strong ninja unless you have awesome ninja clothes! I pouted, my lower lip jutting out. Kisame gave me a weird look.

"Oh come on, loosen up." he rolled his eyes at me. I sighed and tightly gripped Frankie. I did need to do that. I was just edgy. Call me crazy, which I already knew I was, but I felt like I was being watched. It was kinda making me jumpy. Kisame looked at the blade and grinned, showing off his sharky teeth.

"Nice sword."

"His name is Frankie." I smiled largely. Kisame laughed and pointed towards his own sword.

"Mine's name is Samehade. Means shark skin." he grinned at me and winked. I laughed in return and shook my head lightly. Itachi rolled his eyes at us.

"This is going to be a long day…" he muttered and me and Muffin-chan burst into giggles.

XxXxX

FIVE HOURS LATER!!!!!!!

Kisame shook my awake. I'd gotten real tired halfway there so he'd carried me on his back, piggy-ride style. Apparently, I'd fallen asleep on his shoulder. He must use a lot of laundry detergent, because this cloak was as super soft! "Hey, girlie, time to wake up. We're at the base." he told me. I swung off his back, my irritation at being called girlie waking me up completely.

"I thought I told you I was called _Melody_." I stressed on my name, trying to make it a point I wanted to be called that. Or at least Mel, which was my universal nickname. But Kisame just laughed and patted my head, walking onwards. I sighed and rolled my eyes. I jogged up to Diedara walked up, Muffin-chan still riding him and humming an absent tune.

She grinned at me. "How was your nap?" she asked. I smiled.

"Good. His cloak was pretty soft. Do you think the Akastuki do their own laundry or they have a maid?" I asked, slightly curious. Grown men doing laundry? THIS WORLD WAS WAY BETTER THAN OURS! I snickered and Muffin-chan grinned. Diedara sweat dropped.

"I'm right here, yeah." he muttered. We nodded at him, completely aware of this fact. I looked at Diedara.

"Hey, can you mold dragons? Dragons are cool. They breathe fire. Actually, I like to spell fire like F-Y-R-E. It's way cooler. I wish fyre was my element, but the zodiac says it's air. I mean, air is cool too, but fyre is so amazing. But air is still important, ya know? You can't breathe without it and, duh, dragons can't fly without it! And a dragon wouldn't be a dragon if it couldn't fly. I sculpt dragons. Get five to ten dollars each." I told him proudly. He gave me an odd look and Muffin-chan tilted her head.

"Your air? So am I! Well, at least according to the zodiac." she said. I grinned.

"Really, when's your birthday?"

"October tenth. I'm a Libra."

"OH EM FUCKIN GEE! THAT'S NII-SAN'S BIRTHDAY TOO!" I shouted and clapped, bouncing in place while still walking forward. All the Akastuki members stopped to turn and stare at me. I stopped bouncing, suddenly self-conscious. It wasn't usually smart for me to bounce in front of guys, according to my guy friends back in our world, for obvious reasons. I wasn't sure if they'd stopped because of my bouncing or about my sudden outburst about nii-san. I blushed a little and walked forward. I stared at my moving feet, letting my hair curtain my reddened face. After a second, everyone started walking again.

Muffin-chan finally jumped off Diedara and walked next to me. "You know what?" she asked, hands in her pockets. I rose a brow, wondering what she was talking about. It must have been important since she'd finally detached herself from Die-chan.

"What?"

"I think we should keep quiet mostly. Act the dumb part for now. I mean, people shouldn't know about us… being from where we are and all. We can use our amazingtastic powers that the unicorns bestowed on us but… let's act like we don't know much about what's going on. Okay?" she whispered, too low for prying ears. I nodded curtly. Then I smiled.

"Wow, Muffin-chan, your actually smart!" I exclaimed. Muffin's eyes widened and she squealed, clapping her hands together happily.

"YAY! I'm smart! It must be the sugar, it makes me smarterer." she laughed. I laughed too. Then I got more serious.

"I know what your talking about. We need to be incognito. I guess I should really concentrate on that… seeming as I have the big mouth." I joked halfheartedly. She smiled at me and we both nodded. Then we ditched seriousness and went back to our hyperactivity. I started to hum happily, skipping up to Itachi-san. Muffin-chan ran back over to Diedara and climbed back on his back. He seemingly had given up and let her.

I looked at Itachi and beamed. "Hi Itchy-san." I greeted. He gave me a side-glance and then rolled his eyes.

"That's not my name."

"It's called a nickname. My nickname is Mel, although some also call me Mel the Badass." I grinned. That street fight had been so awesome. I would never forget it. Especially burning that Sada's butt with fyre. Then I frowned and clutched Frankie tightly. But who had that voice been? I knew I knew that voice but I couldn't recall who it was… Itachi sighed.

"I don't like it." he muttered. I laughed and playfully hit his arm.

"So? A lot of people don't like their given nicknames. I knew this one girl named Sam and they all called her Sammy the Seal. She hated it, beat up anybody who called her that to her face. It was very amusing." I laughed. I remembered that a lot. Then she'd called me a bitch and we'd never spoken since. That word was my weakness. If anybody called me that I'd get either super depressed or hella angry. Sometimes even both.

Itachi sighed. Then a slow smirk moved over his face. I frowned. "Do all Uchiha's have that damn smirk?" I snapped. It was annoying actually. Because I always melted, even though I _hated _it, when Itachi or even Sasuke smirked. It was pure torture. Well, for the Sasuke part anyways. I didn't mind when Itachi smirked sexily. Itachi chuckled darkly.

"Yes. At least, I'm pretty sure the two of us smirk a lot." he told me. I sighed and looked at him. He was looking ahead, not betraying anything. But he must be sad, right? I mean, the council in Konoha had ordered him to kill the clan. He'd been a black ops, he couldn't have refused without killing himself. And then, after killing him they would have ordered someone else to kill the clan. And if that had happened, Sasuke wouldn't have been left alive and then nobody could have saved their clan's future. IN reality, Itachi had saved the clan.

"It's not your fault." I whispered, my tone morbid. Itachi's head snapped to me, sharingan threatening. We kept on walking though. Itachi glared, red eyes narrowing.

"What do you know?" he hissed. I smiled at him, eyes squeezing shut. It was this smile that my sister had always tartly remarked I'd look like Naruto-nii. Itachi kept on glaring, waiting for his answer.

"Know what, Itchy-san? I have no clue what your talking about." I laughed. Itachi glared harder and I only just smiled innocently back. Finally he sighed and turned his head forwards. I did so too and then stopped dead in my tracks. My God, that cave-mouth that scary huge. I trembled and gave Muffin-chan a nervous glance from over my shoulder. Her face had paled too.

"_Did you know about this?_" I mouthed, brows furrowed, and pointed. She shook her head madly, eyes wide. Kisame laughed and patted my back.

"Don't look so flabbergasted, girlie. Come on, let's go." he laughed. I nodded mutely and followed close behind, hiding behind his back, careful not to touch his chakra absorbing sword. We walked into the cave and everything was engulfed in darkness. I stopped and rushed back out. There was three things that totally made me freak and go into hysteria. Death, needles and the dark. And that cave? REALLY, REALLY dark.

Diedara passed me, with Muffin-chan humming on his back, tracing absent pictures on his shoulder. She paused to give me a curious look. Then she melted into the black. Tobi stopped next to me.

"Why did pretty girl stop? We have to go meet Pein!" he laughed. I glared at him.

"I'm not in there. Besides, I don't have to-"

"MEL-CHAN! GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE!!!! THEY HAVE SOFT PILLOWS!" Muffin-chan called, laughing, from inside the oblivion. I crossed my arms defiantly, trying to keep a strong straight face. But I was panicking, my pulse racing. I was not going in there. I'd wait until somebody got a flashlight. Tobi sighed.

"Please, pretty girl? Tobi will give you a lollipop if you come!" he giggled. I sent him a dark look.

"Do I look five?" I snarled, my voice at a slightly higher pitch. Tobi started crying.

"Tobi was trying to be a good boy!!!!! WAAAAAAH!" he cried, falling deliberately and pouting. I jumped, edgy now. Great, I was going into hysterics. Everything was sounding suspicious. A soft growl from the dark, Tobi crawling a little too close, rustling in the bushes. Everything seemed like someone was going to jump out of nowhere and push me into the consuming darkness.

Suddenly, Muffin-chan slipped out of the mouth of the huge cavern. She looked concerned. "Mel-chan are you ok?" she asked. "Did you run out of sugar or something?" she asked. I shook my head.

"I'm not going! _I'm not!_" I shouted, taking a hurried step back. Tobi shot up, pouting and grabbing Muffin-chan's arm. She looked at him, mildly surprised.

"Other pretty girl, first pretty girl wont come into the base and meet Pein!" he pouted, still crying. He sniffled and Muffin-chan nodded.

"Oh. Are you sure she just didn't run out of sugar?" she asked again. I made a face, shoulders sagging.

"It's not the damn sugar!" I hissed. They ignored me, lost in their own conversation. Tobi scratched his head, then shook it. You'd think that mask would fly off when he shook his head that hard. But no, it stayed. Well, I knew he was Madara anyways, so really, did I need to see his face? No. It was just a passing thought.

"No, because Tobi, being a good boy, offered her candy! She didn't want it, though." he sniffled. I glared, my breaths coming out short and ragged. _No, no, no, no. Not the dark… __**NO!**_ I kept on repeating that in my head. My hands started to shake. Muffin-chan looked up and then frowned.

"Mel-chan, you should calm down." she stated. I looked her at, completely panicking now.

"I-I c-cant!!!" I sputtered. She sighed.

"Well, Tobi can you get a fire extinguisher? She's kinda burning that bush to cinders. We don't want that to spread. What if she ends up killing the whole forest? Those poor, poor squirrels. " she sighed. Tobi nodded and then ran back into the dark. I blinked and shakily looked at the bush. I blinked and then concentrated on the flame receding. I needed to be calm… _calm…._

It flickered and started to withdraw in on itself. Slowly, it disappeared completely. I took deep breaths out of my mouth, sounding and probably looking like a fish trying to breath without water. Within a minute, I was calm again. I blinked, realized there was moisture there and hurriedly wiped my eyes. Muffin-chan sighed.

"What happened?" she asked softly. It was one of those rarest moment that she was completely serious. Even before, when we were talking about keeping our mouths shut, she'd been joking around still. But now the humor was gone. I sighed and wiped my hands on my pants.

"I went into hysteria. I do that when it concerns death, needles or the dark." I sighed again. Muffin nodded and then shrugged.

"Well, we're going to have to go into the base still. Is there anyway you'll feel better going in there?" she asked. I nodded, trying to ignore the spark of panic at knowing I had to go in the cave. Thankfully, the spark couldn't ignite on my wave of calm.

"I'd need light." I murmured. Muffin-chan rolled her eyes and then smiled.

"Then use the power the unicorns gave you! Use your fire for light! Duh." she laughed. I blinked. Now why hadn't I realized that? Must have been the hysteria. Didn't hysteria do that? Yeah, it blocked all rational thoughts. I smiled. I went over to a tree, snapped off a branch, ignited it with my mind and then stood in front of the black whole that threatened to consume me. Muffin smiled. "We don't want to branch to go out halfway there. Come on." she pressed. I nodded and gulped.

Then I walked, with Muffin-chan at my side, into the black consuming oblivion. I closed my eyes for a second and then slowly re-opened them. The fyre was glowing in a circle around us. But the dark seemed to press against it, angry that we had our protection now. Our footsteps echoed throughout the cave. But I felt better, because now I could actually see. Well, sorta.

"Thanks Muffin-chan." I murmured. She smiled and nodded, dipping her finger in sugar and licking it off, then dipping it back in. I nodded too. And then I stopped as the cave re-opened into the blinding light. We stepped out and I blinked a few times. Then I completely gawked. "Wow!" I gasped.

We were in the Akastuki base now.

* * *

**Me: Oh holy crap,the akatsuki base!**

**Muffin-chan: *Smiling happily.* Deidara-kun..**

**Me: ..Muffin-chan,are you okay?**

**Muffin-chan: *Giggles.***

**Me: *Sweatdrops.* Yeah,I'll take that as a yes.. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter,and please review! We will give you a virtual muffin if you do! Thank you for reading,Bittersweet signing off. ;]**


	11. Chapter 11

**Tears: -enters writers room again- Hey guys! I hope you liked the last chappie. Was it good? Well, thank Bittersweet for the uber fast update. I can't promise the next one will be quick. Go ahead and blame me. =D**

**Melody: REVIEW!**

**Tears -gives Mel a odd look- That was random....**

**Melody: REVIEW DAMMIT!**

**Tears: -sweatdrop- Er... I think Melody wants more reviews... **

**Melody: YEEEEEES! SO REVIEW!**

**Tears: -inching away slowly- I'd do what she says... she's already started to burn the wallpaper... ANYWAYS! PLEAZ ENJOY!**

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Chapter 11

THIRD POV

"Wow!" Melody gasped.

In front of the two teenage girls was an average looking, cozy living room. It wasn't filled with chains, knives, or any torture machines like anybody would have expected. Melody didn't notice her friend leave her side in search of more soft pillows until a bubbly orange masked boy came up to her with a lollipop in hand.

"Hello pretty lady! Tobi wanted to know if you wanted a tour of the base!" Tobi said cheerfully. Melody sweat dropped, not knowing if it were a safe thing being all alone with an evil mastermind. She replied, "Um, aren't we suppose to see Pein right now though?"

Tobi giggled, "Hehe, not yet. Leader-sama is having a meeting with the other Akatsuki members."

Melody frowned, "Why aren't you in there with them?"

"Because Tobi isn't an Akatsuki yet, but Tobi will be soon! Come, let Tobi show you around!"

"..But!" The light haired girl didn't get to finish her sentence because she was busy being dragged off into the unknown by the mysterious boy with the orange mask, staring strangely at his colorful big lollipop. **[Bittersweet A/N: …That sounded a bit strange.]**

Muffin-chan stretched on top of the fluffy soft pillows on top of Diedara's bed. Who knew that a bunch of sadistic, life killing, demented, bad guys had a taste in home furniture, and more importantly: Pillows. Muffin-chan thought they slept on the floor of doom, or at least rented out hotel rooms. But this place was surprisingly cozy, which kind of confused her. She wondered if maybe the unicorns brought them cozy living furniture recently because their old contact, Oro-hentai, betrayed them, and gave this coolio stuff to them in thought of bribing them.

Then again, Muffin thought that it must have been a bit far stretched.. She means like, what would the unicorns want with a bunch of sadistic, sick, bad people? They didn't have muffins, emo pancakes, nor sugar. But then she realized: They must be keeping something from the two teenaged girls.

Those bitches, she thought, they must have the pop tarts, duh! It was the unicorn's plan all along, trick Oro-gay-sama and then move on to the Akatsuki, them thinking they had the advantage! They must be planning to keep in all for themselves! Muffin-chan was interrupted from her thoughts with an attention gaining cough behind her that cautiously spoke, "What are you doing to my bed, yeah?"

She frowned," I'm admiring its softness, duh."

Diedara warily walked over to her, being careful not to get too close just incase she ever tried to jump on top of his back again. When he saw she was too busy hugging the pillow right next to her,(Diedara noted to himself to remember later to get that burned.) he spoke up again, "Leader-sama wants to see your friend and you to determine your fate and.. What are you doing to my pillow, yeah?!"

She blinked,"Er, it's called cuddling.."

"Oh, un.. But enough of this, come on, yeah." He grabbed a hold of the dark haired girl's shoulder, but when she snapped her head toward him and cackled evilly in his face, he yelped in fear and jumped backwards.

She snickered before blinking innocently, "What's the problem, Diedara-kun? Are you getting a fever? Maybe you lack sugar, duh."

He shook his head and mumbled cussed under his breath. Muffin-chan glanced at the other twin bed, which was currently empty and unoccupied as well. She realized it must've been Sasori's bed, so she decided to play dumb to find out some answers. Not that Sasori took any interest of her's, but she was sure it would for Melody's.

She tilted her head absent mindedly, "Why do you have two beds,Dei-kun?"

"Don't call me that, un!" He snapped at her sudden usage of a nickname before he continued with what he was saying, "It's my partner's, Sasori no danna."

She blinked, "You're.. _Partner_?"

He twitched, "Not like that, yeah!"

The concept confused her seemingly little brain so she questioned, "Yeah like that, or no, not like that?"

"No, un!" He exclaimed,blushing.

"Oh.. Where is your _partner_, then?" She purposely stretched out the relationship term that Diedara used, because it made Diedara uncomfortable. Or maybe it was the unicorn's secret technique, she thought.

Diedara scowled, "My partner is on a mission with two other members, Hidan and Kakuzu, and won't be back until tomorrow, un."

She snickered, "Then there will be plenty of time till then.. Darn, it seems that I'm out of sugar.. But once I get some more..." He gave her a strange stare for her logic before narrowing his eyes at her and asking,

"What are you planning in that sick mind of yours, un?"

She giggled, "Remember that tea party I was talking about Diedara-kun?"

He screamed.

Outside of Diedara's bedroom down the hall, in the meeting room Pein was waiting with a frown on his face. He was getting a bit impatient with these two teenage girls, already waiting for a straight ten minutes. But down the hall, faintly he could hear some type of noise, but their 'leader' wasn't for sure. He turned to his blue haired partner and questioned,"...Do you hear something?"

She frowned, "No, Pein-sama."

He gave the door an unconvinced stare before sighing and turning back to what he previously was doing; Staring at the blank walls all day, because it makes him look all mysterious and cool, or so he believed. But because he wasn't content with that enough, he started to cackle evilly instead, just because he was that evil.

"..And this is Itachi-kun's and Kisa-kun's room, and Dei-kun's and Saso-kun's room.."

The orange masked boy still holding his colorful lollipop in hand dragged the light haired teenager in her doom. She was getting annoyed with Tobi, because he kept on talking. Not that she can blame him, she thought, she talked way too much too. But it was annoying to her, not because she listened to too much of it, but because she had a tune stuck in the back of her mind.

"Um, Tobi…"Melody started, not knowing what to say to make him stop dragging her around the entire base so she could think of what song it was so that it would stop hurting her head. But a sudden thought crossed her mind when Tobi turned around to face her. He responded, "Yes pretty lady, what can Tobi do for pretty lady?"

The only logical plan that formed in her mind didn't seem much, but it was seemingly enough as she said with a pointed finger the opposite direction, "Look over there Tobi. A bird!" He took a second to glance at the direction that she pointed to before saying, "Huh? Tobi doesn't see a bird, pretty lady.. Pretty lady?"

When he turned around, only a trail of smoke was left from the light haired girl. He stared at the space for a second before giggling, skipping down the hall with his lolli pop still in hand, looking for another person to bother.

Muffin-chan closed the door of Diedara's and Sasori's shared room, knowing only one occupant was present right now. She giggled, knowing that one present occupant was now unconscious, tied up with the rope she made to randomly appear at that moment. She grinned, whistling an innocent tune as she walked through the base.

She failed to notice a pot roll into her personal bubble until it was too late. All of a sudden the dark haired girl fell over, the pot rolling away from her body. She scowled, before picking up the pot and glancing at the door in front of her.

Scribbled in colorful canyons, obvious courtesy of Tobi's, was Zetsu's name and a picture of a.. Cat? She blinked before realizing it was indeed a picture of Zetsu, just Tobi must have sucked at drawing, duh. Or maybe it was the unicorns, she thought, coming to sabotage the Akatsuki's doors!

Thinking she should maybe return the pot before any other misfortunate being might fall over the thing, she knocked the wooden door continuously until the door opened. She was greeted with some grumbled yelling that she could make out,

"**God dammit Tobi, we told you the next time you bothered us while we were planting, we will eat you alive-**"

"_Wait, you're not Tobi.._"

She blinked, "Er, you lost a plant pot.."

Both sides of Zetsu stared at her suspiciously before taking the pot. The white half of Zetsu whispered to his other half, "_We should eat her, and she looks tasty..._"

The black side that made Zetsu seemed to differ, "**As appealing as that sounds, don't you think leader-sama might punish us for eating her? What if she is made to aid his plan, you insolent fool.**"

She coughed, "Er.. Oh, are those plants you're.. Planting?"

Both halves of Zetsu blinked before turning to the teenage girl. The white half of Zetsu spoke, "_Yes, it is.. Do you.. like gardening?_"

Muffin-chan nodded frantically, not planning on getting eaten this day.. Otherwise, she wondered, who will stop the unicorns from taking over the world? Melody only knows so much of what those sparkly horned horses were planning, duh. She ignored the conversation the two halves were engaged in, lost in her own thoughts.

"**No, she will be a nuisance..**" said black Zetsu.

White Zetsu disagreed, "**But she will be a good girl!**"

"…**No."**

"_..Please?"_

"**No."**

"_Please..?"_

"**Fine, but if she makes a mess.."**

Muffin-chan thought she was dealing with a bipolar plant, but didn't complain when they let her go into their.. Garden. Muffin blinked, surprised at how he, or they, can stuff so many plants in one room.. Around her hanged many types of plants, some spike-y, some soft, and some creepy. They crowded up the space that was their room. Black Zetsu spoke up, "**Sit down, stay quiet, and don't touch anything!**"

She nodded before she sat down on an upside down plant pot. She curiously watched the plant man water all of the plants delicately, and sometimes rocking it back and forth like a mother does with its child. She always thought the bad guys were pro global warming and all for polluting the world, but she supposes they were going green this year.

She sighed.

She agreed to sit down quietly, but this didn't stop her from wanting to touch all the pretty colored flowers, but in fear of losing a limb or two, she didn't. Quietly sneaking away from the plant man that was busy chanting to another one of his plants, she didn't notice the gigantic piles of soil beside her. As Muffin-chan exited the room, the heavy door behind her closed with a click, vibrating throughout the entire room causing the piles of dirt to cover both halves of Zetsu.

The black half of Zetsu frowned, **"...I knew she would make a mess, that brat."**

Melody panted hard, her back leaning against the inside of a stiff door of an Akatsuki member's bedroom. She knew she should've taken up on that offer of Muffin-chan's to pack up on sugar, because she was feeling a bit faint right now. Moments before she thought she heard the familiar giggling of Tobi's, so she jumped inside of the room closest to her.

She glanced around, not able to identify whose room it was yet. As long as it wasn't Tobi's or anybody that would eat her, she would be okay. She wondered what that tune she had stuck on her mind was, but dismissed it otherwise. Besides, she wanted to have some fun with the Akatsuki members, and should focus on that instead, duh. She mentally cackled evilly, only then noticing a shadow towering over her.

Above her was the familiar blue skinned member of the Akatsuki, grinning sharkly at the seemingly small teenager. He lowered slowly down to her level, predator theme music playing intensely in the background. "..Boo."

"Crap!" She exclaimed, obviously thinking it were somebody else. When she realized who it was, she sighed in relief. "Oh, thank Kami.. I thought you were Tobi for a second..."

He sweat dropped, "You have to give the kid some credit, and he has a special ability.."

Melody looked at him suspiciously, thinking about how he may know something about Madara Uchiha before asking the Akatsuki member, "Strange ability?"

He grinned, "The ability to turn a gloomy organization cheerful, Tobi is a skilled man at that."

Melody fell anime style, "Oh."

All of a sudden a kunai whirled past Melody, hitting directly at the dark dresser she was coincidentally too near. She wondered if it was maybe because somebody hated the dark wood, but she shook her head. It might be the wallpaper, she tried to convince herself.

The person who had thrown the kunai stared at the girl with an emotionless face, but when Melody realized who it was just five feet away from her figure she blinked. "Itchy-san?"

Kisame frowned, "Itachi, why did you throw the kunai at girlie?"

"My _name _is Melody." She snapped angrily.

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever, girlie."

Itachi shrugged before stating simply, "I didn't like the nickname she gave me. Besides that, leader-sama wants her."

Melody frowned,"Why?"

He shot her an annoyed glare,"..To determine your fate, or something."

"You mean you don't know?" She raised her brow.

Itachi sighed, "When Leader-sama isn't planning evil plans, he's either cackling evilly, or both. It's hard to understand him when he is talking and cackling at the same time."

She nodded in understanding, with all three of them still standing around. They all just stood in awkward silence before Melody started to subconsciously hum to the tune to, 'I'm Blue' from Eiffle65. She suddenly realized that was the tune that kept on playing over and over in her head, and mentally face palmed herself for not remembering it.

A sudden thought also hit her, as she turned towards Kisame with a smirk forming on her lips. This only in result made the two Akatsuki members glance at her suspiciously. She innocently hummed aloud, "Da ba dee da ba dee…"

Kisame twitched.

She snickered, cursing her luck that she didn't have an iPod armed on her right now. Itachi sighed exasperatedly before turning toward the blue skinned Akatsuki member and ordering, "Just grab her, and let's go. You know how leader-sama gets when he is impatient."

Kisame shuddered, making Melody wish she would never have to face that wrath after seeing Kisame's reaction. Then again, she thought, she didn't want to face any wrath; Because that would be bad, and bad things usually don't lead to good things. She suddenly felt a dark killing intent aura behind her before she realized what was going on. But she was too late, and her entire world turned black. Or, at least of what she can see. She couldn't feel any solid ground below her, except some type of cloth.

She blinked, "Who turned off the lights?"

Kisame's loud laugh could be heard from outside of whatever Melody was in.

Melody scowled, "Are you seriously kidnapping me, in a plastic bag?! Don't you watch the news, people suffocate in these types of things!"

But as soon as Melody entered the so called suffocation device of doom, she came out of it. She took in her surroundings, which was a dark cave like room with barely any light. She started panicking, not liking the sudden darkness her sight was greeted with. But then a sudden flashback entered her mind, which she found annoyingly common.

_FLASHBACK!!!_

_"Well, we're going to have to go into the base still. Is there anyway you'll feel better going in there?" Muffin asked. Melody nodded, trying to ignore the spark of panic at knowing that she still had to go in the cave. Thankfully, the spark couldn't ignite on Melody's wave of calm._

_"I'd need light." Melody murmured._

_Muffin-chan rolled her eyes and then smiled._

_"Then use the power the unicorns gave you! Use your fire for light! Duh." Muffin laughed._

_End of FLASHBACK!!!_

Since Melody didn't have a branch or any type of material to use for igniting a fire, she would have to focus her chakra on balancing in her palms. But she was a bit nervous of getting burned, but it was a much lighter feeling then the hysteria though, she thought. She closed her eyes, imagining a small flame of fire encircling in her hand.

Abruptly, she could feel a small warmth tickling her fingers. She sighed in relief when the darkness of the cave seemed to disappear, even just a little bit with the dim light. A voice called out behind her, "Impressive."

She turned around to face the orange haired, double-tripled nose ringed 'leader' of the Akatsuki. The fire flattered weakly for a second before staying firmly in place again. She glared at him suspiciously, "What do you mean?"

He shrugged impassively, "It just seems you're much better at jutsu then your other friend was.."

Her eyes widened in surprise, "What did you do to Muffin-chan?!"

"It really depends.. Do you want the truth, or a lie?" Pein asked calmly.

"..What is the lie?" She asked.

He frowned, "You sure you don't want to hear the truth first?"

"..No, what is the lie?"

"Well, it's just that the hero, or in this case the heroine, always demands the truth from the bad guy first that reveals his master plan and gets to cackle evilly.." Pein said with the evil eye in Melody's direction.

She said dead toned,"..No, I'm pretty convinced with wanting to hear the lie first."

"Very well. The lie is that your friend is in the other room alive and safe." Pein said boredly.

She blinked, "And the truth?"

Pein covered his mouth making strange Darth Vader noises with his breath before reaching out creepily, "Luke, I am your father.." Melody fell to her knees, screaming to the high heavens with her hands covering her ears in denial, "Nooooooooo! This cannot be!"

Pein coughed before collecting himself once more,"..Nah, I'm just playing with your foolish little mind."

Melody fell anime style.

"The truth is your little friend is unconscious in the other room because she just wouldn't shut up.. Zetsu is watching over her.." He cackled evilly.

Melody frowned, "You do realize you left a defenseless teenaged girl unconscious with an S-class man eating plant, right?"

Pein scowled," You dare mock me in the middle of my cackling? Shoo, be off with you."

"But.. What about that whole 'determinate our fate' thing?" Melody pouted.

"Oh, that.. Well, then I decide that you and your friend will be on probation until further notice, or until we trust you enough that you won't disappear.. Meaning you cannot leave the base without a member with you, and that you cannot go anywhere without one member watching you." He said calmly.

Melody raised her hand.

He suddenly grew an angry anime vein, "What, brat?"

She tilted her head,"..Does that mean the bathroom too?"

Pein face palmed himself, "You know what? It does now, just because you're annoying me. Now shoo, I'm in the middle of my cackling session.."

Melody shrugged before exiting the room and entering the one her dark haired friend was suppose to be unconscious in. Melody stared at her still body before she decided to do something. Finding the first thing that came to mind, Melody found a twig and started to poke her friend. She realized that Zetsu must have left the twigs behind for some odd reason.

Muffin-chan groaned before getting up on off her back and rubbing the back of her head. "Mel-chan? Dude, I had this messed up dream…"

"Really? …What was it about?" Melody asked.

Muffin-chan blinked, "That I was poking Pein to the point that he had knocked me unconscious in annoyance, and I thought I heard two voices complain about who was going to eat my legs.. Hmm, maybe I had too much sugar, duh. Right, Mel-chan?"

Melody sweat dropped, "Um, totally.. But it seems that Pein doesn't want us to leave so soon.."

Muffin grinned, "Really? Oh well, more fun for us, duh!"

Melody rubbed her hands together suspiciously, cackling evilly with her dark haired friend. They knew they didn't have a say in the matter, but plans started to form inside their devious little minds that included the Akatsuki members in their brought out fantasies. They knew that maybe they lost the battle today, but the war had just begun.

* * *

**Tears: lol. Mel and Muffin and so funny. Next chap there will be shirtless Akastuki members and training battles.**

**Mel: REVIEW!**

**Tears: -sweatdrops again- And please review. **

**...You'll get a spoiler if you do! And don't you want that? Yes. I am bribing you. lolz  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**-tries to dodge random items- Hey hey hey! I'm SO sorry this is WAY too late! I got people asking me to update left and right and my only excuse is school and writers block. I know, lame. But hey, at least it's finally here! And we all know Bittersweet will have a quick update like always. :) She's awesome like that.**

**Mel: Bittersweet and Tears do not own the Naruto plot or any characters besides me and Muffin. Any mentions of other story characters or movies are just them being funny. Don't take it too seriously. Now read the damn chapter.**

**Me: Mel, you swear a lot...**

**Mel: Shut the fuck up.**

**Me: -.-'  
**

* * *

_Chapter Twelve_

Third Person POV

Sasuke waited outside the cave, just watching it intently. He would wait for the girls to come out. Since, he had a hunch they would. He felt an ounce of pity towards Melody for being afraid of the dark. But to him, it was just childish. How could a girl of fifteen years be _afraid of the dark_? He rolled his eyes. Stupid and childish.

He glanced at the dead ashy bush. His eyes narrowed as he remembered the smoke that had started when smoldered as she had slowly gotten afraid and then the blaze at she had reached her critical max of fear. He remembered how the wall had crumbled over her that one day in the hideout. What had she been doing again? Muffin had said something about unicorns bestowing powers. What the fuck did that mean? Unicorns didn't exist. **(To something we all know Muffin would reply: THEY DO TOO!)**

He continued watching the inky sheet of the cave entrance. He sighed slowly, a little bored. Surveillance wasn't his strong point, it was the action where he was at his best. But he wanted those girls away from those murdering bastards. No matter how much those girls annoyed him, the Akastuki made his flesh crawl. Mainly because Itachi was there. The fact was he wasn't ready to face his older brother. He had to finish training and _then_ he'd kill his vile older brother.

He'd hated that back in the alley. When Melody had glued herself to Itachi. Why hadn't she hugged _him_? He was much better than that bastard. Then he shook these thoughts away. Why? Because it was stupid. She hated him according to Kabuto. He didn't like that, but he _shouldn't care_. He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. Suddenly, a twig snapped softly behind him.

He'd unsheathed his katana and whirled around on his tree limb in 2.3 seconds. _Hn, a new record._ he thought dryly. But then he ended up sheathing his katana again. He sighed. "Hn, how did you find me?" he asked his team. Karin smiled flirtatiously at him, twirling a lock of her dim red hair.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun! It wasn't that hard! All we had- well all _I_ had to do was just follow your wonderful trail of delicious chakra!" she winked. Sasuke felt sick to his stomach. Suigetsu sighed boredly and rolled his shoulders.

"It was a little harder than that, I'll admit." he muttered. Karin glared at him and smacked his arm, which turned to water droplets. He just shook his head, clicking his tongue in disbelief. "You call that a hit? That didn't even hurt. I mean, how weak can you get Karin?" he asked, teasing. She glared at him and raised her fist again, an angry gleam in her eyes. Sasuke sighed. _God, these two had been here for only a minute or two and they were already getting on my nerves._

"Hn, shut up! We need to be quiet or our position will be located." he snapped. Both of them quickly did so, since they knew deep down you never wanted a pissed off Sasuke. He'd _find_ a way to shut you up and most times it was extremely uncomfortable. So they hid behind some landscape and watched the cave intently.

"Who is the target?" Suigetsu asked, completely serious. Sasuke grinned evilly and thunder trembled although the sky was clear.

"Two teenage girls, Melody Char and Muffin…er… just Muffin." he concluded, aware that he didn't know the second target's last name and that the first name sounded odd… odder than the first target's. Both Suigetsu and Karin nodded curtly, although Karin seemed a little suspicious. So they sat in wait for the prey.

XxXxXxX

Pein sat on his little throne, the candle flames flickering ominously. His face was being lighted and then shadowed quickly, and his crooked grin had a feral look to it. Kisame didn't let himself shiver, nor did he show any other emotion. Itachi stood beside him, placid faced at usual. It took a lot to make Itachi show emotion. Kisame remembered that that girlie had made Itachi look surprised. Distantly, he wondered how she'd done it. He'd tried everything to make Itachi's face change from that boring expression. Nothing had ever worked. Then here came these weird mysterious girls and everything was going tipsy-turvie.

Pein smiled suddenly, his eyes going mad as he cackled evilly. Kisame and Itachi both sweat-dropped simultaneously. Then Pein recovered himself and glared coolly at them. "Both of your fighting skills are the best in the organization. Test these girls' skills this afternoon. Although, battle them separately. We don't want them to gang up together. Something gives me a feeling that that would be bad." he told the two S-class criminals. They shrugged and nodded.

It didn't seem to hard in their mind. It would take mere minutes at the most. Confidence was especially in Itachi's heart, since he knew he was the best. Suddenly, Pein stopped them. "Wait!" he called out. They both turned, both mentally curious but showing no emotions still. Pein tilted his head. "Where is Diedara-san?" he asked.

Kisame frowned. "I don't know. Haven't seen him since bringing in the girls." he shrugged and then left. Itachi silently followed. Pein frowned.

"Funny… I wonder what he's doing…" he mumbled and then went back to cackling.

XxXxXxX

Melody yawned as she woke up. She'd taken an empty bed the day before and she wasn't sure who's it was. All she knew was that the pillow was uncomfortable and sounded like crumpled money in her ears. She got up and dusted herself off. She would have to ask for more clothes, maybe ask Muffin for those 'awesome ninja fishnet clothing' she'd bought in the last village.

She went into the bathroom to do her business. She got an awful but normal surprise and groaned. Quickly she took a shower to wash off. Melody got out of the bathroom and then the room. The quiet halls beckoned her.

She started to walk around, pretty much roaming and hoping to run into someone she knew. Everything was pretty dark, so she concentrated chakra on her fingers and snapped, igniting fire on them and then balancing it on her palm. Melody sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Pretty lady! Tobi finally found you again! Tobi is such a good boy!" Melody froze and turned slowly. Tobi stood there, waving. Melody sighed and her shoulders slumped. Tobi ran over suddenly, grabbing her wrist and pulling it closer to his face. "Ooh! Pretty lady made fire!" he said in awe. Melody pulled her hand away.

"Let go!" she snapped, giving Tobi a mean look. She didn't really like Tobi, who was actually Madara, who was the worst Uchiha there could have ever been. Melody frowned and put her fire-free hand on her hip. Tobi had fallen on the ground and was now crying anime tears.

"Poor Tobi doesn't know what he did wrong!!! What did Tobi do to make pretty lady so mad?" he sobbed. Melody rose a brow.

"How about you lied? I do hate liars you know." she said and then turned heal and continued to walk. Tobi jumped to his feet and followed her. He stared at her for about five minutes before Melody turned again. "_What?_" she asked, annoyed. She just wanted to find Muffin. Tobi blinked.

"Why did you say Tobi lies? Tobi is a good boy." he said, taking out a lollipop and giving her a thumbs up. Melody gave him a blank stare, brow raised. _What a load of crap…_ she thought to herself. _But I have to admit, he'd make a good actor back home._ She rolled her eyes finally.

"Tobi's a bad man, and he knows that." she whispered. Tobi was silent for once. He chuckled suddenly. It was seemingly out-of-character , but Mel knew better. Tobi crossed his arms over his chest.

"Do I?" he asked, his voice completely changed. It was deeper, more masculine. He stared her down. Mel took the challenge and stared back. They didn't even blink. Mel's fire grew hotter in her palm and she realized it must have doubled in size. Tobi giggled suddenly and started to skip away. "Goodbye pretty lady!" he sang, back to the 'cute' little boy voice.

Melody sweat dropped. She'd expected something more dramatic, like him finally removing the damn mask. She sighed. _Oh well_, she thought and shrugged. She started again through the halls. Then she bumped into something hard. "Ouch! God, watch where the hell your going!" she snapped angrily. Mel took a step back and glared.

Kisame sweat dropped. "Somebody is grumpy today…" he muttered behind his hand to Itachi. Itachi rolled his eyes and looked at Melody. She was sulking, arms crossed over her chest and turned half away. Itachi sighed.

"Apologize to her." he ordered. Kisame's mouth dropped to the ground. It was something that would usually make Melody giggle but now made her roll her eyes. Itachi glared at Kisame. "Now!" he hissed, realizing this would make Melody at least feel a little better. He had noticed right away that she was in a foul mood. He could feel it five yards away vibrating off the walls… and air. It was no wonder Diedara was cowering in his room.

Either that or someone had locked the door and was torturing him. But Diedara was an S-Class Ninja. He could protect himself… right? Itachi suddenly sweat dropped out of nowhere. Kisame sighed though. Melody just waited for the apology, foot tapping. What she really needed though, she knew, was a miracle pill.

Kisame pouted. "Fine. Gomen for bumping into you, Melody." he muttered. Melody smiled at him softly.

"Sorry for being a bitch. I'm probably going to be very emotional for a while…" she laughed nervously. Both men sweat dropped. Melody suddenly grinned. "PIGGY BACK RIDE TIME!" she yelled happily and jumped onto Itachi's back. Itachi sighed.

"Please get off."

"But Itchy-san! I want a piggy back ride!" she whined, arms resting over his shoulders and around his neck. Itachi gave her a look over his shoulder. It was hard, although holding no real anger.

"Get off."

"But IIIIIIIIIIIItchy-saaaaaaaaaan!" she complained loudly and pouted. "Please?" Itachi gave her another look, this time one of complete blasé. Mel's lower lip jutted out and she used her puppy dog eyes. "Pwease?" she begged and then blinked slowly to emphasize it. Kisame smiled slowly, falling for the cheap trick.

"Aw, come on Itachi. She's too cute to refuse!" he laughed and patted her head. Melody sweat dropped but continued to pout at Itachi. He glared.

"I said no." he snapped. Melody's cheerful and innocent attitude evaporated, leaving herself glaring at the older and most likely more powerful man. The candles on the walls flared.

"You _will_ give me a piggyback ride. And if you refuse, you'll find yourself seeing rubber duckies everywhere you go. In your bed, especially. Maybe even a real one, if you really don't agree quickly." Melody said darkly. Then she grinned. "Ok? So please say yes and allow me to have a piggyback ride. It'd be misfortunate to all if you said no." Her voice was sickly sweet, her eyes sparkling. Both men sweat dropped, looking at the girl and wondering if she was bipolar or something. Kisame nudged Itachi in the ribs.

"For God's sake, _say yes_!!!" he hissed. Melody just grinned at them, eyes still sparkling innocently. Itachi sighed finally, the idea of rubber duckies being everywhere and Kisame bothering him all the time with "Why didn't you say _yes_, God dammit!?"'s in his head. Finally he just sighed and crouched down. Melody grinned and jumped on, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.

"YAY!" she squealed. "Arigato, Itchy-san!" She dropped her chin on his head. Itachi was sorta sulking though, trying to ignore her. He hadn't given _anybody_ a piggy back ride since Sasuke was eight. He trudged through the base, while Kisame and Melody jabbered on and on about nothing in particular. It was when Melody started grumping about Orochimaru's horrible taste in walls and Pein's perfect choices that caught his attention. He knew that his baby brother was living with the Snake Sanin.

"Hm?" he asked. Melody beamed.

"Yeah! It was HORRIBLE! And nobody agreed with me when I told them that. I was all, 'You have horrible taste!' and then Kabuto was all giving me this weird look and Sasuke was all, 'Hn.' and then Muffin was all, 'I like blueberries too!'. That was a good bad day." she nodded, as if all of this made perfect sense. Kisame laughed and then paused.

"Wait- huh?" he asked, scratching his head. Melody just laughed. Itachi tensed and tried to think of a way to ask the annoying brown haired girl. That was, until Melody looked straight at him and frowned.

"You shouldn't worry about him, Itachi. He may look pretty gay right now, but he's fine. Arrogant as hell, but fine. And grudgingly, he's got some kick ass moves up his sleeve. Stupid lightning." she muttered the last part. Itachi stopped to look at Melody. She just smiled. "NOW ONWARD MY TRUST UCHIHA STEED! TO MUFFIN AND DIEDARA'S ROOM!" she shouted, pointing forward.

Kisame sweat dropped. "Um, their room is the other way…. Behind us, girlie." he said. Melody made a face about being called 'girlie' but other than that stayed moderately calm. Itachi rolled his eyes, still not happy with the fact this Melody girl knew so much about the Uchiha's, and turned around. They started walking towards Diedara's room, where Muffin had stayed last night.

XxXxX

Mel's POV

I jumped off of Itchy-san's back and slipped towards the door. "Arigato for the ride, Itchy-san! And for some laughs, Fish Face." I grinned, winked and then slipped through the door. "Muffin, it's me!!!" I sang, looking around. A purple curtain drew away and Muffin's head poked out. She was glaring until she saw it was actually me and beamed.

"Melody! Did you sleep well? I've had the most wonderful morning!" she giggled and there was muffled protests from behind the curtain. "Will you excuse me for a second?" she asked and then her head disappeared. "Have some more sugar, Die-kun!" she giggled and the protests stopped abruptly. Muffin-chan danced out of the curtained area.

"What was that about?"

"We're having a tea party."

"Oh… Um… Ok." I rubbed the back on my neck nervously. Muffin-chan just grinned and walked over, hooking her arm with mine. She held up a sugar bag that was half empty. I didn't want to know what she'd done with half of that sugar… especially with the last thing she'd said to Diedara. Que shudder. Muffin smiled at me.

"So… Sasori is supposed to come back today, along with Kakuzu and Hidan. What are you going to do about that, huh?" she asked, as we walked out the door. I shrugged and then bumped into something fishy. Literally.

"OUCH! Oh, eew, Fish Face! You really should look into AXE. And that's something big coming from me, because I hate that strong smellin' stuff. But for you… your gonna need something strong. You really smell like tuna. Not that tuna is bad but-"

"Shut up, girlie." Kisame snapped, glaring. Itachi was smirking at me and I just shrugged.

"What? It's not _my_ fault I talk a lot! Wait, wait… yes, actually. I think it is my fault. Oh well." I sighed, shrugging. Muffin laughed and patted my shoulder.

"Don't worry. I sometimes talk a lot too." she nodded. "The unicorns like it though, unlike Kisame." she stuck her tongue out at him, making me start to laugh. We were such five year olds at heart. I jumped back on Itachi's back, who'd been smirking. His smirk faded as I pointed forward.

"ONWARD MY TRUSTY UCHIHA STEED! TO… uh… where are we going?" I asked, resting my chin on Itachi's head and sending Kisame a questioning glance. Itachi sighed, holding onto my legs so that I didn't fall. As if! If I started to fall off my Itchy-san, I would be clutching him with my legs and hands… But really, wouldn't that just make us both fall? Hm… I'd need to think that over later.

Kisame laughed at me. Muffin was grinning. She then sent Kisame a sly look. I nodded frantically, grinning my own grin that always reminded Naru-fans of Naruto himself. And in just a split second, Muffin had jumped atop of Kisame. He grabbed her legs so she wouldn't fall. And just like that, Kisame was giving Muffin her very own piggyback ride. She loosely let her arms loop around his neck.

"Hi, Kisame! Do you happen to want any sugar?" she asked. I laughed and looked at Itachi. He was sulking again.

"Oh, Itchy-san, don't worry. I'm much calmer than Muffin. I mean, I won't constantly pester you about sugar!" I teased. Muffin pouted.

"Hey! Sugar is amazing! I just worry about their intake a lot! I bet Pein-san almost _never_ lets people eat sugar!" she complained, crying anime tears. I nodded sympathetically. Itachi shook his head, making me almost loose balance and fall. I clutched his neck and then released the pressure when he stopped shaking.

"Need I remind you that Tobi is always eating sugar? We are allowed." he stated dully. I sighed.

"But that's _Tobi_! That's a completely different topic!" I explained, rolling my eyes. Madara could do all the hell he wanted because _he _was the macho man in charge. But if Itchy-san said they were then why-

"Most of us just don't eat a lot because it's fattening." Kisame snorted. Muffin glared and pouted.

"It isn't fattening!" she said defiantly. Kisame snorted.

"Sorry to break it to you, but yeah, it is."

"It's only bad for diabetics! Besides, it says calories per serving is fifteen!" Muffin stuck out her tongue as if this solved all problems. Everyone sweat dropped.

"There are one hundred and thirty one servings in an entire sugar package." Itachi pointed out dully.

"...Your point?" she asked innocently, eyes huge and sparkling. Anime could do so many things that made you look cute. Muffin totally loved doing that too. I chuckled. Itachi and Kisame sweat dropped. Muffin ate more sugar pointedly. I tapped Itachi chest with my hands.

"Hey, let's go!" I said, impatiently. Itachi sighed.

"Now that we're on the topic again. Weren't you wondering _where _we were going?" he asked. I paused and so did Muffin. We both thought back and nodded finally.

"Yeah." we answered simultaneously. Kisame nodded towards Itachi. I wondered what they were talking mutely about. It seemed they knew what was gonna happen, but me and Muffin didn't. I sighed and pouted. "Can you please answer the question then?" I whined. Kisame snorted with laughter and Itachi rolled his onyx eyes. For once, I realized he didn't have his sharingan on. I knew that was rare. Either he didn't want to be blind right now, or he was saving up chakra. I thought that the second option was more plausible.

"Girlies, do you have a specific rank?" Kisame asked suddenly, bringing me out of my thoughts. I blinked. Muffin tilted her head and licked sugar off her finger.

"Um… no." Muffin answered for us. Kisame grinned and Itachi smirked. I frowned. He looked like Sasuke when he smirked. I almost felt like ordering him never to smirk again. But damn, his smirk was still pretty sexy for a twenty something year old. I knew that was bad of me to think, but hell, it was the truth.

Itachi looked back in front of us and started walking. Kisame did the same. I distantly wondered what the other Akastuki members would think if they saw us all. I mean, wasn't Itachi supposed to be almost emotionless? And yet, here he was, giving me a piggyback ride. And Kisame… nah, Kisame would probably do this.

"Where are we going?" I asked again. Itachi just continued smirking, styaing silent. I pouted. "_Please _tell me, Itchy-san?" I whined. Silence was my only answer. I glared. "Don't make me start going all rubber duckie on your ass." I whispered into his ear. He sweat dropped, but stayed silent. The fucker. Muffin chuckled, apparently hearing my duckie comment. I'd have to explain the joke to her later.

Finally, we were next to the entrance to the archway that led into the cave. In the far distance I could see the tiny speck that was the cave mouth. I froze, tensing. Then, taking a deep breath, I lifted a palm and then concentrated chakra on my palm. _Fire… fire… fire… Fire?_ I thought and peeked my eyes open. A bright flame was burning right above the center of my palm. I grinned.

Itachi was staring at my hand, then shifted to stare at me for a second. Then he continued walking, Kisame at his heals. He was silent but I could tell he was thinking deeply. His back kept on tensing and then relaxing and then tensing again. I sighed and wished he'd hurry up. The darkness was pressing up against us, trying to find a way to take us. I wasn't allowing it though, because the more my panic grew, the brighter my flame became. It eased the paranoia.

Then we were outside, and I let the flame drop. My hand felt warm, actually kinda numb. Most people didn't know but you could become numb from heat. I did though, from washing the dishes a lot in the searing hot water. I'd just let my hands rest in it and then they'd become all numb and tingly. It was actually kinda fun, to be honest.

Itachi and Kisame looked at the other and then nodded. They took off in different directions, at top notch speed. I squeaked and held tight to Itachi, for fear of falling off. That would hurt! Then, me and Itachi were in a clearing in the forest. I blinked.

"Um, Itchy-san?" I asked. He nodded in acknowledgement. I sighed. I jumped off him and walked in front of him. I leaned against a tree and gave him a look. He rose a brow.

"Nani?" he asked finally. I nodded, glad he was finally talking again.

"What are we doing?" I asked. He smirked.

"Well, I better tell you now. Pein-sama has ordered us to fight you girls to figure out how good you would be in a battle situation. I won't be fighting you though, Kisame will. I'm just here to give you weapons and help you out. Since, Pein-sama doesn't want you two ending up dead. Kisame is most likely doing the same with your friend." he explained. I frowned.

"Her _name_ is Muffin!" I snapped, rolling my eyes. He rolled his too.

"Hn. First off, which weapons will you be using?" he asked. I looked at my belt loop, which had Frankie strapped too it. I pulled it out of the sheath.

"Frankie and my 'talent'. That's all I need. Besides my charming wit and brain, of coarse." I grinned. Itachi seemed unimpressed which made me loose the grin. I sighed.

"What?" I pouted. He kept on giving me this look. Total blasé. I hated it, made me feel uncomfortable.

"You really need to learn to clam down. Take a look at your surroundings and focus." he said. I glared.

"I do too know my surroundings!" I protested, anger suddenly vivid. How dare he accuse me of not being aware! I was too aware. More aware than he knew. I was aware that he would die by his brother's hands, Pein would attack the Leaf someday in the future, Team Hebi would join the Akastuki soon and fail at capturing the eight tails. Itachi snorted, unconvinced.

"Tell me then. Close your eyes and recite your surroundings." he said, eyebrow raised. I bit my inner cheek and did so. I tried thinking of what I'd seen before.

"Um, there was a squirrel eating an acorn on the lower west branch of the cypress tree southward. Right?" I felt queasy. I hated tests, even back in Muffin's and my world.

"It was, but where is it now?" he asked, voice suddenly cocky. Damn! Now he really sounded like freakin Sasuke! Did it run in the family?!? Well, their dad was an ass… Hm, I'd have to think about the genetic traits of that specific Uchiha family and try to predict what the children's traits would supposedly be as an outcome- "Melody Char! Focus on the task at hand! If you surrender to stray thoughts, you'll be helpless against Kisame." Itachi snapped harshly. I winced but did as told. God, now I really felt like a five year old.

I tried to listen for the chewing or claw scrapes of the squirrel but couldn't. I sighed. "I don't know where it is." I finally admitted, opening my eyes. Itachi smirked as if this was what he'd expected. He nodded at me and then motioned in an arc around us.

"What do you see?"

"I see… trees, some colorful birdies, that damned squirrel, a bunny hole-"

"Could you use any of those to your advantage?" he asked, sitting down suddenly. He sat down pretzel style, or criss-cross apple sauce or however you said it. I pouted at him. I really didn't want to tell him about my power but if I held back on him, he'd probably end up beating it out of me. Plus, he'd already seen me make fire appear out of thin air. I guess I should tell him.

"I back my enemy up and have them trip into the rabbit hole, then while they stumbled lock them in place with tree roots and then give a killing stroke with Frankie." I told him, shrugging. Itachi rose a brow and looked around. He nodded approvingly.

"That would be one way to work it. There are several possibilities. But first, I want to know what exactly is your kekkei genkai. Mine, as you must realize, is the Sharingan. Which-"

"I know what it is." I told him blatantly. He rolled his eyes and continued.

"Fine. But you still need to explain your kekkei genkai." he waited for my answer. I was careful to reply. I wasn't even sure it was really a kekkei genkai. Maybe I was just uber good with elements like Kaka-sensei. I finally sighed, sensing that Itachi was growing impatient.

"It seems that the elements react to my feelings. I can sort of… manipulate them, I guess. I'm not really sure, to be honest. I havn't had much time to play around with it." I admitted, pouting slightly. Itachi frowned, the lines on his face becoming more apparent.

"You've had your whole life to play with this." he pointed out. I sweat dropped and played with the dirt with the toe of my sneakers. They were different than the shoes I people here were used to… and no offense to my mother, but I was going to buy new ones soon. These weren't really in style here. Knee high clunky boots… now those were cool for Naruto's world. "MELODY! FOCUS!" Itachi shouted firmly. I jolted out of my thoughts.

"Um… gomen?" I supplied, shrugging. He sighed and put his chin in his hands.

"This is very difficult for my stress level." he muttered to himself. "I'm gonna need more medication… Oh, well. Pein wont give me any until I finish with you and Muffin." he sighed. I blinked. Medication? Pein prescribed meds to his fellow henchman? Cool.

"Actually, you could say that I… kinda just… dropped in." I snickered lightly. That's pretty much exactly what had happened. Me and Muffin had flown from a museum and then dropped into Naruto's world. Kinda like Dorothy in the 'Wizard of Oz'. "Me and Muffin kinda just don't know our place in this world. So we're just walking around trying to figure it out. Nomads, I guess." I explained. It was hard, without letting the secret slip.

Itachi stared at me for a long time. The whole time I just stared straight back into his eyes, seemingly innocent. I didn't feel innocent. I felt like a dirty little liar. Which, I wasn't. But I felt like it. Finally he sighed and I did too. Staring contests were _not_ my strong point. Widen your eyes just a little and I'd burst out laughing. So it was good that we'd both broken our gazes. I would have lost and it would have gone to the Uchiha's head.

"Fine. Then we'll have to work on it later. But anyways, I would suggest thinking about strategies, since you seem to be good at them. I have to go fight Muffin now. Kisame will be here shortly for your battle." he said and started walking away. I bit my lip, a twist of nervousness knotting in my stomach, nodded and walked towards a hiding place. Then something stopped me short. "Good luck, Melody." Itachi called out softly. I blinked and looked over my shoulder.

He was standing just at the edge of the trees. I smiled. "Thanks, Itachi. That means a lot to me, even when I'm about to get pummeled into a tree by Fish Face." I joked. Itachi disappeared. I smiled and hid behind a tree, towards the top. I willed the tree to bend slightly to the left, so I would be completely hidden by the wide trunk. I quickly thought out my strategy while I carved a branch into a kunai shape.

Five minutes later and Kisame popped up. He was looking around, behind his own tree. It didn't really work well, because Samehade stuck out. I blinked and focused, quietly gripping the wooden kunai. I got ready to throw it. Kisame suddenly turned from the tree and laughed. "Your being funny if you think a kunai can hurt me, girlie!" he laughed, walking towards the center of the clearing. I smiled lightly.

_Only a little bit farther… _I thought and then smirked when he reached the mental red X in the center of the field. I threw the wooden kunai which I'd been transferring my chakra into it. As the wooden kunai got nearer to Kisame, who was laughing again but keeping an eye on the weapon, I bent it easily and shaped it into another object. It was… a duckie. I held back a chuckle as I made it waddle all around him.

Kisame frowned and watched the toy. "Your making fun of me now, aren't you?" he asked and while he was distracted I pulled tree roots, which was a little difficult since I'd never tried it before, towards the giant blue man. Suddenly, Kisame stiffened. He jumped out of the way just as the roots got close. But it was hard so I let them stay where they were. I'd try again later, like my backup plan had been. Now Kisame was watching the woods around him with a keen eye.

His eyes locked on my tree and I winced, pulling back. "Mizu Dragon Jutsu: Beast of the Tsunami!" he cried out and I gasped. I jumped out of the way just as that tree was destroyed by a water dragon. I landed hard on my knees on the ground. I gritted my teeth together and then rolled behind another tree. "Ha ha, you think what happened before wont happen again girlie?" he asked and I could hear him making more hand signs.

I realized he was right. I could stop drop and roll until there were no more trees in this forest and he'd just keep on doing the same thing until I had to cover. I sighed and then stepped away from the tree, having only one hand sign ready. Fire. Kisame was staring at the hand sign, calculating what I might know. Which wasn't much, only instinct and what I'd learned from the manga/anime. I closed my eyes and willed fire to suddenly blaze around me in a protective ring.

When I opened my eyes, there was just that around me. I perked up. "Oh! SO COOL!" I shouted happily. Kisame rose a brow, unimpressed.

"You think that's cool? Then watch this! _This _will be cool!" he laughed and then made more lithe hand signs. I yelped and threw my fire all around me in a fiery cocoon. I couldn't hear what Kisame said, since the crackle of the fire blocked it out. The water hit me suddenly and my fire started to sizzle out. I set my jaw and my hands curled into fists as I tried to keep the fire going. The water stopped, my fire survived. I huffed and then sent a blast of the fire towards Kisame.

He blocked it with a swing of Samehade, although he had to take a few steps back to keep balance. I sighed, realizing my chakra was decreasing quickly. I had to think of a new plan. I hadn't expected to waste my chakra so much. I really needed to get used to this element thing. I shook my head and decided on two last killing strokes. The original plan I'd discussed with Itachi.

But alas, as I reached for Frankie, I realized I'd left him on the tree before it gotten blown up. Damn, that meant he was somewhere among the rubble. I'd have to use the elements for my last two moves. I nodded as a sudden plan formed in my head.

I panted as I called upon more power of fire and thrust it at Kisame again. "TAKE THAT YOU DAMN SHARK BASTARD!" I yelled. Kisame tried to block the blow with Shark Skin again but the blast ended up being just a bit too powerful. Mainly because I was giving this my all. The tape singed and he was pushed three feet back.

I then called upon the earth again and the strong roots of the nearby oak trees groaned under us. I thrust my arms towards the sky, concentrating on how the roots would wrap around Fish Face. There was a moment of pure silence and then the ground shook. Three thick fat roots shot up out of the ground and then twined themselves around the S-class criminal.

He struggled and then smirked. Quickly, he made a few rapid hand signs. "Mizu Shock Blast Jutsu!" he shouted. I had enough time for my eyes to widen before I was blasted back into the forest. I flew through limbs and cringed as one of my arms bent awkwardly. Then I hit a tree trunk and fell down, eyes rolling up into my head....

XxXxXxXxXxX

Third Person's POV

Sasuke looked at Melody, fallen onto the ground. Her arm seemed broken, blood leaking from her mouth and various scratches. Her eyes were closed- she appeared unconscious. Should he take her and then grab Muffin soon? He frowned, confused with the matter of things. Karin gave the girl a look.

"Eh? This is Melody Char?" she asked, receiving a nod from Sasuke. Karin crossed her arms over her chest. "She's ugly." the red-head snapped, looking away. Suigetsu rolled his eyes.

"Oh, your just _jealous_." he laughed, making the light haired girl stir. Her eyes slowly blinked open.

"Suigetsu? Am I hearing things?" she whispered. She winced suddenly, good arm shooting out to grip her other wrist in pain. "Oh fuck!" she snapped, eyes closing tightly. Sasuke smirked at her words. It wasn't every day you broke your arm and her choice of words were amusing to him. Suigetsu gave the girl a look.

"Huh? Do I know you?" he asked. Mel peeked an eye open.

"Not yet." she said, smiling evilly. Suigetsu sweat dropped suddenly, itching away.

"Dude, she's scary." he whispered to Juugo. Juugo ignored them, listening to a butterfly fly by. He held out his finger and it landed there. Suigetsu gave him a look and then rolled his lavender eyes. "Whatever, never mind." he muttered.

Rustles in the bushes as a deep voice called out, "Girlie? Where are you? Did I kill you? Oh shit! PEIN'S GONNA KILL ME IF I KILLED YOU!" came the worried shout. Suigetsu stiffened, eyes shifted towards the vegetation southward. Karin's nose wrinkled as she smelled an odd smell.

"It's Kisame-sama. We should split. He'll kill us if he sees us." Suigetsu pointed out. Then he sighed. "Although I really want Samehade…." Sasuke frowned and then looked back at Mel, who'd slipped back into unconsciousness. He nodded suddenly.

"Let's go." he said and they disappeared.

* * *

**Me: Ooh! Wasn't that fun?**

**Mel: HELL NO! I GOT MY ASS WHOOPED BY FISH FACE!**

**Me: Did you hear anything readers? I didn't... Hm, must have been the wind.**

**Mel: WIND MY ASS!**

**Me: -smirk- And now a message from Bittersweet!  
**

****

Bittersweet: Hola,mi amigos/amigas,que pasa?

(Hello,my friends,what's happening?)

It's me,xXBittersweet MelancholyXx. Sorry for my bad espanol.. *Sweatdrops.* Hope you enjoyed Tears's chapter,because she put a lot of work into it. Haha,it seems trouble is evident for the Akatsuki members,and Muffin and Melody themselves,ne? We would appreciate any feedback about our story,because I'm sure if you are a writer yourself,you would know why we would like reviews.

Thank you,

xXBittersweet MelancholyXx and Tears


	13. Chapter 13

**Tears: -muttering- Told you she'd be quick.**

**xXBittersweet MelancholyXx: Hey,guess who's back? **

**Muffin: -Raises hand,energetically.- Ooh,ooh! Is it Chuck Norris?**

**xXBittersweet MelancholyXx: -Sweatdrops.- No.. It's me! **

**Muffin: -Falls anime style,before sulking in disappoint- **

**xXBittersweet MelancholyXx: -Laughs nervously- But besides that.. I'm here to introduce the new chapter to you readers.. Chapter thirteen.. -Dramatic music plays- Hehe,please enjoy reading,and stuff. -Nods happily- Don't forget to review,we will give you a free virtual Muffin. -Suddenly leashes Muffin with a collar- Naruto belongs to Kishimoto,but Muffin and Melody belong to us! -Cackle-**

**Melody: Sadly.  
**

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_Chapter 13_

"...Is she going to be okay?"

Muffin's concerned voice broke through the quiet atmosphere,her arms folded over her chest. A few feet away stood a light haired girl,with a dark haired Uchiha hovering over her unconscious body. The blue skinned swordsman chuckled from where he was at,watching his partner bandage tape over Muffin's friend's now broken wrist. Itachi nodded mutely,"She should be... She should gain consciousness in a few hours."

After responding,the Uchiha quietly stood up from his spot. He turned his heel to the opposite direction,nodding in acknowledgment to his blue skinned partner. Suddenly his figure poofed off from sight,causing the dark haired girl to blink at him in confusion. "Um,not that I'm in position to ask or anything.. What just happened? Did Melody lose her brownie points again?"

Kisame grinned as he turned to the dark haired girl,enjoying her lost expression. He shifted so that his sword lay more comfortably on his back,before responding to her question,"Pein-sama told us to fight with you two.. We are not to kill you,so don't worry. Also,I'm here to give you any thing you need.."

Muffin pouted,"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

Kisame shrugged,"I didn't feel in the mood for explaining before."

Muffin blinked in confusion,before glancing at her feet nervously. Muffin wasn't stupid,well,not always.. Muffin wasn't always stupid,and this was one of those times. She broke in nervous sweat when she realized that she had to fight against a Akatsuki member. She was only a teenage girl,barely knowing anything past tackling. She wondered if she can possibly trip the person and make a run for it,but she doubted it with a pout. "Then,who am I fighting?"

Kisame chuckled,"Itachi."

Muffin scowled,taking note that tackling was definitely out of the picture now. She wrinkled her nose,his words finally sinking into her mind. She turned to the blue skinned swordsman,giving him an incredulous expression,her chirpy demeanor gone. She frowned slightly,"What,are you serious? He'll take all my brownie points and kill me!"

Kisame rolled his eyes,"Didn't you hear me,'W_e are not to kill you.'_?"

Muffin sighed in relief,"Oh.." Muffin tapped her chin thoughtfully,before turning to the swordsman with an evil smile. She started to hum innocently,blinking at Kisame with big eyes and large,over dramatic anime eye lashes. The blue skinned man gave her a suspicious glance,but didn't say anything aloud.

"Hey,Kisame.. You said you are suppose to give me anything I need,right?" He narrowed his eyes at the dark haired girl,taking notice of her innocent smile. His brows arched implying his suspicious statue,but he nodded in acknowledgment anyway at the dark haired girl. "What do you need?" She shrugged nonchalantly,hiding her evil smile with her turned back. "Oh,it's nothing.. Just a bit of information."

Kisame raised a brow,"Information?"

She nodded happily,"Yup!"

He suddenly frowned,laying his gigantic sword down. He let the bandaged sword lean towards him,his figure supported by the tree that was behind him. He didn't like the tone of her voice,he thought silently to himself with a scowl. He averted his eyes to the unconscious body of Melody's,before sighing. "What kind of information,girly?"

Muffin smiled goofily,"How do I do the body replacement technique,Kisame-sempai?" Kisame sighed in relief,wiping a nervous sweat from his eyebrow. After a few seconds of taking in this bit of information,he started to chuckle in amusement. He turned to her with a strange stare,making the dark haired girl scowl,knowing plain well why she got this facial expression.

"You seriously don't know?" She nodded sadly,wiping away fake anime tears. "Where I come from,the town is way too small for a ninja academy.." She noted that she was only half speaking the truth,but not an out right lie,she thought somewhat happily. Kisame took a moment to ponder before rolling his eyes;

He sighed,"Fine,fine.. But let's not take too long,Itachi is waiting.."

* * *

Muffin stepped forward into the field of trees,her figure slouching awkwardly. She couldn't help but feel small,and wondered why she couldn't spar with Deidara,or something. But no,it had to be one of the most strongest of the Akatsuki,Muffin thought sourly. The dark haired girl mumbled under her breath for her cursed luck,and the stupid unicorns.

She glanced backwards,towards the space where Melody and Kisame were located at,sitting a good ten feet away from the field. Kisame attempted at giving her a reassuring thumbs up,but couldn't help but share the similar feeling. Hell,what the fuck was he kidding? If Itachi could easily overpower him,what makes him think that Muffin could stand a chance? Kisame remained his supporting demeanor,with a fake cheesy grin that showed his sharky teeth.

Itachi stepped forward in the small clearing,his face remaining impassive. His eyes averted to the teenage girl,before raising a confused brow. It didn't seem like Kisame gave her a sustainable enough pep talk,but whatever he said,it would just have to do. As the Uchiha neared the short dark haired girl,he frowned slightly. Subtly, e glanced at Melody. He sighed inaudibly,hoping that no harm will come to her friend,otherwise he might never see a day without a rubber ducky again.

Itachi frowned,"..Are you ready?"

Muffin smiled goofily,"Nah,but it'll have to do.." Itachi raised a brow,but didn't say anything further. Possibly it was because she had something down her sleeve that raised her confidence,Itachi noted. His impassive face didn't falter as he continued with his speech,"..Then what are you planning on doing?"

She shrugged,"Just wing it,duh."

Kisame chuckled from the spot he temporarily sat at,while Melody turned over on her side,mumbling about rubber duckies. Kisame sweat dropped,making sure to inch a few feet away. Muffin tapped her chin thoughtfully,her eyes on the Uchiha. She wrinkled her nose,her crazy mind in deep thought. She wondered how she was going to do this;She couldn't poke at his weak point,because she didn't know where Emosuke**(Tears: Which is a new nickname for Sasuke, for you slow people!)** was.

Or if emo's liked to be poked,for that matter. There was definitely no way possible that she would be able to fight the older Uchiha sibling,alone at least. She shook her head,slightly pouting in obvious defeat. She glanced at Itachi,who was waiting patiently for her to start the first move. Now that she actually observed him,she noted that Itachi looked a bit like his emo brother,but remained indifferent because of the lines under his eyes,but everything else solely Uchiha traits. She blinked a few times before smiling evilly,realizing that she didn't need the buttbow influenced Uchiha present after all. "You know,you remind me a bit of your brother.."

Itachi tensed slightly,narrowing his eyes at the teenager,making Kisame glance between the two with a raised brow. The blue skinned swordsman wondered what the short little female was getting at,wondering what she was talking about. Kisame's eyes gazed at Melody,who stirred a bit in her unconscious state. Itachi's frown deepened as he responded,his red colored blood line activating,"...What are you talking about?"

"You Uchihas are all the same,huh? You don't see it,even with your special eye bloodline?"

Muffin inwardly slapped her cheeks,knowing she was taking it a bit far. Er,maybe not a bit far,too far? She silently prayed to the unicorns that she wouldn't get mauled by fangirls for saying that later.. Not that they could hear her,or anything. Itachi glared at the dark haired teenager,making Muffin feel uncomfortable. But hey,it's better then ending up with a broken wrist,she thought. Suddenly Itachi disappeared,almost making Muffin groan for the change of events. She heard the Uchiha appear behind her,feeling his cold gaze. Itachi's hardened eyes observed the teenager,his own stotic expression remaining.

"..Has my foolish little brother's arrogance rub off on you?"

Itachi asked flatly,now holding a kunai to the girl's throat. Kisame blinked,suddenly feeling the dark aura radiating from his Akatsuki partner. Muffin thought she could hear Metallica back round music in the background,but thought it was maybe from lack of sugar. Muffin blinked,glancing at the weapon in the Uchiha's hands,because she thought it would look more dramatic and cool. Inwardly,Muffin was breaking in nervous sweat,wondering how she was going to get out of this; Unfortunately,you can't on rely on unicorns,Muffin thought sourly. Muffin cleared her throat,raising her brows correspondingly,

"You won't do that,Itachi. You couldn't kill your brother,you can't kill me."

At least I hope not,Muffin thought sheepishly. Sounds of metal slashing over skin asounded the blue skinned man's ears,making Kisame chuckle lightly. So this was the bloodthirsty,heartless Uchiha that had massacred his entire clan,Kisame noted quietly. The swordsman wondered what kind of punishment Pein was going to give Itachi,and how many rubber duckies Melody was going to use,but didn't think of it any further.

Itachi sighed before shaking his head,making Kisame raise a confused brow. Suddenly,a cloud of smoke clouded the Uchiha's vision, making Kisame realize the 'disappointed' expression of his younger partner;In place of the dark haired girl's body was a log of wood,making Kisame laugh dryly in amusement. He scratched the back of his head,watching the Uchiha's slightly sulking figure,"Itachi,that girl really fooled you,huh?"

Itachi quietly smirked,"...Hm."

Muffin panted inaudibly,trying to catch her breath. She could feel her cardiac organ thump wildly against her chest,the adrenaline rush fading within the minute. Her back was against a tree,the thick body of the tall wood hopefully hiding her from view. She glanced down at her feet,breathing out a sigh of relief. "Thank unicorns.."She mumbled under her breath.

"Hello other pretty lady! Tobi wonders what other pretty lady is doing?"

Muffin almost jumped in surprise from the sudden voice of the lollipop crazed 'good boy'. She looked up from her feet,and was a bit annoyed by how close the split personality masked man was to her face. She blinked,a bit confused how she didn't notice him earlier. Then again,he is Madara,he is just freaky like that,Muffin concluded thoughtfully. She scowled,realizing if he didn't shut up he would blow her cover. She pushed her index finger on the spot of his mask where his mouth would be,shushing him loudly. "Shh! They will hear you,Maddy!"

He tilted his head,"..Maddy?"

Muffin laughed sheepishly,"I said fatty! By how much sugar you eat. Um,it's fattening,you know!"

Tobi blinked,"Really? Tobi thought he heard you say earlier that sugar _wasn't _fattening.."

"...It is."

Itachi's voice was heard from behind them,making the dark haired girl inwardly sigh in relief. Realizing that Tobi and her were speaking too loud,she face palm her forehead for blowing the secret of her secret cool hiding spot. Tobi turned around to face his fellow Uchiha,a fit of giggles escaping his mouth,making Muffin raise her brow at the creepy behavior. He waved happily at the other Uchiha,giving him an eye smile,"Oh,hi Itachi-san! Tobi was just talking with other pretty lady!"

Itachi frowned,"..We were in the middle of a fight."

Muffin glanced over at the location of where her friend was,and sweat dropped when she saw her slung over Kisame's shoulders. Tobi giggled again,his childish tone obvious in his laughter. He reached into his red clouded cloak before producing another gigantic lollipop from his sleeve. Looking at it thoughtfully,he responded,"Tobi is sorry to interrupt,but leader-sama wants Kisame-san and Itachi-san!"

Itachi raised a brow,"Very well.."

Itachi turned to face the dark haired girl,before nodding to her in acknowledgment. He glanced at the light brown haired teenager,which of whom laid awkwardly on Kisame's shoulder in the distance. "We will bring Melody to the infirmary," After saying this statement,Itachi walked away in the direction of Kisame,with Tobi waving happily in good bye. Muffin raised a brow,confused as to what was so 'urgent' that Pein would interrupt their fight. Maybe the unicorns attacked,Muffin wondered thoughtfully.

Muffin blinked,"I thought Pain already talked to them?"

"Oh,he did. Tobi just said that."

Tobi unwrapped the plastic wrapping that covered the round candy,twirling the stick in his fingers. Peering curiously at the dark haired girl,he hummed under his breath innocently. Muffin tilted her head at him,her scowl deepening at the annoying tune,and also because he had more sugar at the moment. Frowning slightly at her lack of sugar bag,she pouted silently. She realized she didn't have enough brownie points to make a sugar bag appear again yet,so she settled for sulking; Tobi suddenly chuckled at her obvious downcast expression,making Muffin give him a strange stare.

"Does Muffin-san really think Tobi is a fatty? Hmm,Tobi thinks that Muffin is a strange name.."

Muffin laughed nervously,"Er.. No comment?"

"'Muffin's' friend Melody told Tobi something.."Tobi spoke nonchalantly,not looking away from his hard candy. Muffin tensed stiffly,wondering what Melody said to make the 'good' boy suspicious. Muffin laughed sheepishly,not liking where the conversation was heading at,her gaze back to her feet.

Muffin cleared her throat,"Maybe she said you needed more sugar, yeah?"

Tobi chuckled again,only this time it made Muffin shiver in result. He shook his head,before managing to lick his lollipop without removing his mask. How he did that,the world may _never _know. Tobi sighed,before towering over the dark haired girl,making her laugh nervously. Eye smiling slightly,he continued on with his speech,"Actually.."

"..Tobi,_what the_ _hell _are you fucking doing over fucking here with that fucking girl? Wait- where the hell did she fucking come from?" came a very familiar voice.

* * *

**Tears: Wow, we all have an idea who that foul mouthed bad boy is. And he just put Mel-chan to shame.**

**Mel: SHUT THE FUCK UP TEARS!**

**Tears: Look at her, trying to regain her honor! **

**...Fail.**

**Mel: -growls- I'll show you fail! Let me at her!!!!!!!!**

**Muffin: -hold Mel back- Now, now, Mel-chan! If you kill your author, then all your brownie points would go away and we'd melt like sugar in the rain! -sniff- Poor sugar...**

**Tears: -sweatdrop- Um... review please?  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**Well, three chapters quickly in a row. You readers are lucky. This chapter is the longest yet... and yet, it's just a filler. Funny... It also has a secret. Can you guess it by the end of the chap?**

**Mel: Tears and Bittersweet don't own nuthin but me and Muffin and any other OC characters.**

**

* * *

**_Chapter Fourteen_

Melody's eyes twitched as she felt a horrible ache in her wrist. "Ugh... why do I feel like I just broke my wrist or some shit like that?" she asked herself aloud. Then she bolted from the bed she was laying in, eyes wide. "Oh _shit_!" she shouted, remembering the last thing before she'd lost consciousness was Sasuke and his team. Had they taken her? She strained to remember anything, but failed.

"Whoa,calm the fuck down,bitch!" was the startled reply from behind her. The person that spoke with the foul mouth had silver hair,but even with his seemingly premature gray hair,his appearance was around early twenties. He was dressed in an Akatsuki cloak,his figure leaning on the wall near Melody's bed.

Melody looked over and saw the cloak. _Thank God, Emosuke didn't kidnap me!_ she thought. Then she froze and glared at the guy. She knew who he was. His foul mouth gave it all away. A dark aura surrounded her. It would have made any Uchiha proud. "What the hell did you call me, you little fucker?" she snarled.

"You fucking heard me,you little ass wipe! Stop being such a little shit,and fucking calm down you damn bitch!" He growled,his scythe leaning on his shoulder lazily. Hidan suddenly grew an anime vein,his short temper thinning with each second. He scowled,"You should fucking rest. Fucking Itachi fucking told me that your ass should be fucking resting.."

"Don't fucking tell me what to fucking do, you pansy! I can do whatever the fuck I fucking want! Itchy-san worries to damn much! So shut your fucked up face!" she shouted in return, growing her own anime vein. Her left hand curled into a fist, because her right one hurt too much. The candle flame grew two feet, melting the whole wax in a few seconds from it's heat. The flame still lived though, feeding off Mel's anger and chakra. Mel continued to glare at Hidan.

He sighed,rolling his eyes at the fireworks display,as Hidan put it. He mumbled under his breath,his voice barely audible,"I wonder if Pein will let me sacrifice her to Jashin-sama.. No,I heard he fucking nearly yelled at the little shit Zetsu for almost fucking eating that other girl's legs,Muffin or some shit like that.." He turned to face the light brown haired teenager,his scowl deepening,"Itachi will fucking kill me if any shitty thing happens to your sorry ass,so fucking deal with it!"

"I'm not a fucking five year old baby! I don't need you watching me, ass fucker. Leave. Me. ALONE!" she screamed, hoping someone might hear her wails and come and save her from the Meanie-Poopie-Head Hidan. The flame from the candle shot towards Hidan in her anger and resentment.

He sucked on his now minorly burned thump,wrinkling his nose in distaste. He continued to grumble to himself,"That fucking hurt,you little piece of shit.." Suddenly,the click of the door to the infirmary made Hidan avert his eyes. He was met with the figure of the dark haired Uchiha,which he sighed in relief. "Thank fucking Jashin!"He exclaimed before rushing out of the room,scythe in arm.

Itachi raised a brow,but didn't speak as he turned to examine Melody. "..How are you holding up?"

Melody stuck her tongue out at Hidan as he ran. Then she pouted at Itachi. "Why did you make Hidan watch me? He called me an ass wipe. He was really being a meanie poopie head." she whined, nodding. Then she sighed. "I'm fine, I guess. My wrist hurts though... and..." she sighed, deciding not to tell Itachi about the last things she remembered. He didn't need to know Sasuke was close.

Itachi laughed quietly,shaking his head in slight amusement. "..Yes,I'm sure the entire Akatsuki base heard you and Hidan cuss out to each other." Itachi glanced at Melody,his eyes remaining unchanging as he answered,"Actually,I was originally going to put Kisame to watch over you,but Muffin is giving him.. A lesson on sugar intake.." He shook his head,before averting his eyes to the door,"..Do you think you are well enough to walk?"

"Good. It should do them good to know that Hidan better watch what he says from now on or I'm gonna talk shit right back." she nodded curtly. She jumped out of the bed, flinging the covers away. "Duh, Itchy-san. My wrist is broken, not my legs." she smiled and walked up to him. Then she frowned and sighed. "I lost the fight... I was real close to winning too. I was going to bake that fish stick." she sighed and looked at Itachi sadly. "Gomen."

Itachi smirked,raising a bemused brow at the ninja-in-training teenage girl. "You did well, considering Kisame is a S-rank missing ninja from one of the roughest villages in the five hidden countries." Itachi nodded in the direction of a plastic bag,the store company name in unfamiliar kanji symbols. "Muffin dropped those by,saying that they might be useful.."

"Sugar? Eh, Muffin thinks sugar could help anybody... Don't tell her but..." Mel looked around cautiously before tiptoeing up and whispering into Itachi's ear behind her left hand. "I think it's fattening too!" Then she dropped back down and chuckled. "That'll be our little secret, kay?" she grinned and winked at him. She took the sugar though, so Muffin wouldn't feel bad. Then she shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I really didn't expect him to blast me fifty feet backwards though..." she rolled her eyes. "Asshole."

Itachi rolled his eyes,but continued on with whatever he was saying,his lips twitching up,"And also by your bed is another bag,just with super cool ninja clothing,or as your friend Muffin says.." Itachi raised a brow,but sighed before exiting the room,closing the door with an another click.

"Hey-wait! Itchy-san?" Mel asked, holding the bag of sugar to her chest and giving him an actually real innocent look. She bit her lip.

Itachi opened the door again,quirking his lips into another quiet smile. Itchy sounded like something Sasuke used to say as a toddler,Itachi noted silently. Itachi blinked,"..Yes?"

Melody rushed up and enveloped him in a hug. "Thank you. Your amazing." she whispered and then pulled away and smiled slyly. "Now out of my room, you perv! I need to get dressed!" she laughed.

Itachi sulked out, not liking the new 'unfitting' nickname she had bestowed apon him. He closed the big wooden door,before peering over the living room,watching Muffin give a sugar lesson to some of the begrudged members of the Akatsuki,all tied up. Obvious courtesy of Tobi,Itachi concluded. Itachi glanced back at the door,and raised a brow,thinking of a concept;His foolish little brother has his stalkertive tendencies,since the first time he followed Itachi to watch him train... If Sasuke was in his place,would he possibly use his Sharingan..? Itachi laughed quietly,his laughter barely audible as he shook his head. He walked thought the hallways towards his own bedroom. "Foolish little brother, old habits die hard.."

Somewhere,about a a hundred kilometers away in a forest crowded with trees,a certain Uchiha sneezed. Karin pouted. "Sasuke-kun, you don't have a cold,do you?"

Suigetsu chuckled. "Nah,they say you sneeze when somebody is talking of you.." he explained. Sasuke raised a brow,but didn't say anything more on the subject,not desiring to know who,or if the myth was even true.

Quickly, Mel dressed in a shoulder cut turquoise shit. The right sleeve was longer than the left, which cut off above her elbow while the other was normal length. She had a left fishnet elbow cut. She was wearing regular black pants with some tape around her left thigh and a kunai pocket strapped across that. I was wearing knee high boots I was so thankful that Muffin had bought some and both knees had fish net stuff over them.

I looked at myself in the mirror than smiled. "Nice new look, Mel." I complimented myself. I threw my old clothes away and tucked my deformed phone in my kunai pocket. I didn't have any kunai anyways! I then walked out the door.

Muffin cleared her throat,"And that is exactly why sugar good for you.. Oh,hey Mel! Oh whoa,awesome ninja outfit! Hehe,I like fishnet too.." The Akatsuki members sighed in relief,before silently itching away from the seemingly crazy brown haired girl. She pouted when she turned around to find all the chairs now vacant,wondering how they got out of the super strong chains that unicorns gave her. Shrugging,she turned back to Melody,smiling slightly. She raised a brow,"You know,Itachi was in there for a awfully long time.. Ooh,he must've been showing you the price tags on the super cool ninja clothes,right? Hehe,it's a good thing the unicorns gave me a wad of cash then,and stuff." She nodded happily.

"Yeah, unicorns are awesome like that. I'm glad they did too." she laughed and smiled. "So, how was your fight? As you can see, I got my ass kicked." she muttered the last sentence grudgingly. Then she sighed and smiled. She looked around. "Speaking of Itchy-san, where did he go?"

Muffin rubbed the back of her head,before sulking with a scowl on her lips. She wrinkled her nose,"Actually,I didn't get to finish.. Tobi interrupted us,and revealed my super cool hiding spot! Er.. I think Itachi went back into his room.." She shrugged before turning to her friend with a evil grin,"Ooh,you must be wanting to give him a sugar talk too,huh? Yeah,he kind of dodged Tobi's attempts at tying him up,and stuff.." She nodded solemnly,smiling goofily.

Suddenly, Mel grinned. "Nah, never mind. Hey... let's tie up Hidan!!!!" she squealed and bounced. Then she frowned. "He was being a meanie poopie head to me in the infirmary."

Muffin smiled innocently,"You know,I think he is performing a Jashin/Unicorn ritual.. He will be like,totally unsuspecting it,and so pissed when he realizes what we did! Wait,what are we going to do with him later?" She tapped her chin thoughtfully,speaking out some of her suggestions aloud,"Hmm.. We can't let him go,or at least without Itachi around.. He'll kill us! Maybe we should drop him off with Deidara,he needs a new tea party buddy.." She suddenly cackled evilly,dramatic music asounding in the backround. Realizing that it was creepy,she coughed awkwardly,before grining again at her friend.

Melody didn't mind though. "Oh hell yeah! Dude, I'll distract him as you tie him down with chains. Kay? Kay! Over and out, let's go." she grinned and then started running towards Hidan and Kakazu's room. It had been the room she'd slept in last night. But now, it seemed, she had her own room with Muffin. That was nice of the Akastuki. She tiptoed to the door and then swung it open. Hidan was standing in a bloody circle, about to dive his scythe into a poor chicken. Mel gaped. "NO! NOT THE CHICKEN!" she shouted and dove towards it. She cradled it to her chest, pouting and glaring.

Hidan blinked,glancing from the feathered chicken to the light haired girl. He scowled,"What the hell are you fucking doing to my bitching chicken,you little shit?!" Kakazu glanced up from his bed,his figure surrounded by piles of cash laying around him,and it was obvious he had been counting his money. Kakazu rolled his eyes,"Fortunately somebody finally agrees that it would be a waste of money.." Hidan sweat dropped,before crossing his arms pointedly,his scythe across his back. "Now,give the fucking chicken back,you little.. Oh,fuck!" Suddenly Hidan fell over from a sudden knock to the head,a sugar bag falling behind him,being the prime suspect for the sudden twist of events.

Muffin smiled goofily,"You see,sugar _IS _good for you!"

Melody snorted and got up. She looked at Kakazu and grinned. She pulled out a ten dollar bill that she'd had stashed from her pocket. (Now why hadn't she remembered that in the museum? Then this whole mess wouldn't have happened. Eh, she couldn't complain.) She handed it to Kakazu. "This never happened, kay?" she grinned and rose a brow.

Kakazu snatched the dollar, pulled it towards the light, before nodding in acknowledgment. He turned back to his money counting,disinterested in whatever the two teenage girls were doing to his immortal partner. It wasn't like he cared,he was stuck with him after all,just because he couldn't stay dead; Muffin laughed,before handing her friend one side of boat rope,like the kinds you use to carry your Christmas tree on your car. She quirked a smile,"Would you like the honor?"

"Duh. he called me an ass wipe and a little shit... Fucking pansy ass." she snarled and then pulled him away. They walked into Diedara's room but received a sudden shock. Diedara stood there glaring, leaning against his bed. "Out. Of. Our. Room!" he yelled, dusting sugar off his shirt. I blinked and dropped Hidan.

Muffin clapped her hands happily,"..Our? Yay,good slave,you get a cookie for learning how to share!" Deidara sweat dropped,before sighing and shaking his head. He pointed his thumb back at the red haired puppet,who either didn't take notice of the sudden entrance or didn't care,occupied with a lifeless puppet.

"I meant Sasori's and my room,un."

Muffin raised her brow,in her mind picturing something different when he said that,"Really? Your and your partner's room,was it? Hehe,no matter.. Wait,were you using my sugar?" Deidara blinked,realizing he was caught in the act,but tried to remain indifferent,pouting slightly.

"No I didn't,un."

Sasori rolled his eyes,"Yes,he did,and stop testing our patience.. What are you doing in our room?"

Muffin smiled slyly,"Your room,huh? Actually,we are here for a.. Tea party.."

Deidara twitched,his face with an expression of obvious horror. He backed away,twitching slightly,"No,yeah!"

Mel grinned and walked over to Sasori. She plopped down beside him an picked up a puppet hand. She make it poke his arm. "Poke!" she said. Then Mel grinned. "Hi, Sasori. I'm Melody! Can I give you a hug?" she asked calmly.

Then she looked behind her and gave Diedara a grin. "Oh, don't lie to yourself. You know you love your tea parties..." she chuckled.

Sasori raised a brow,before inclining both his head and the puppet he was working on's head,turning it towards her slowly to give her a creepy smile. "You would be a fine edition in my collection..But something tells me Pein-sama would not be pleased.." He sighed boredly, before glancing back to his puppet,screwing with the back of it's head.

Muffin giggled,"You never answered her question.."

Melody pouted. "Yeah! I want to give you a hug, Saso-kun. Pweeeease? Your my second fav Akastuki member! I was so sad when Die-san told us earlier that you were on a mission." Then she paused. Her eyes narrowed for a minute and for a second that dark arua surrounded her agian. "You don't want me as a puppet Saso-kun." she muttered and then smiled again, happy yet again.

Deidara shuddered,before whispering behind his hand,which Muffin noted that the tongue that resided there flashed her a smile. "Is she always that scary when she tries to make a point,un?"

Muffin tapped her chin thoughtfully,"Possibly.. It's like saying how much you blow up Tobi,for example.." She nodded happily,making him peer at her strangely.

"Did that idiot Tobi tell you,yeah?" Muffin blinked,before nodding quickly,eyes widening for the close call.

"Yeah.. Hey,did you notice you and Tobi have like,speaking disorders? Hehe,he speaks in third person while you add a hum to the end of your sentences,duh.."

Deidara frowned,"Then what about,'duh',un?"

Muffin blinked,"What about 'duh'?"

Deidara scowled,"Duh,un!"

Muffin tilted her head,"Duh..?"

Deidara sweat dropped,but glanced at Sasori,who was busy in deep thought.

The puppetman scowled,but nodded to the light haired girl,"Yes,you can hug me.. On condition you do not call me Saso-kun."

Muffin rolled her eyes,"She will call you that anyway,duh.."

Deidara scowled,"You see,un?! There it is again,yeah!" Muffin blinked,"Is what,duh?" Deidara face palmed his forhead in defeat.

Melody grinned happily and engulfed the red head in a strangaling hug. She stayed like that. "You never said i had to let go. And no problem, Saso_ri_-kun, I will not call you Saso-kun anymore." she grinned and then was pealed away by the puppet. She pouted. Then her head swerved towards Diedara. "What about duh's?" she asked.

Deidara pouted,sulking slightly,his arms folded over his chest in his bad mood. He pointed an accusing finger at the dark haired girl,"She says I have a speaking disorder,un! Hypocrite,yeah!" Muffin smiled evilly,knowing there was no point hiding it,she thought; _Actually,it throws people off balance and confuses them with the unseriousness of doom,duh!_ She started to cackle,but cleared her throat awkwardly,nodding over to the unconscious Hidan.

"We should secure him in tighter chains,before he wakes up,duh.."

Melody nodded and then winked at Sasori. "See ya later, Sasori-kun." she grinned and then pranced over, dragging Hidan away. "Good luck with that speaking disorder Diedara, dattebayo!" she laughed as she went further into the hall, heading towards her and Muffin's room.

Muffin laughed,"Hmm.. Have you ever noticed everybody in this show has speaking disorders? Not that it's a bad thing,duh." Muffin helped drag Hidan,before dumping him on the floor,which he hit with a thud. Surpisingly,it didn't wake him up,but it did make him stir in his sleep. As he rolled over,he started to mumble cusses and something tasting like chicken.. Sweat dropping,Muffin nodded over to the closet nearby,gesturing towards the silver haired man's body. "Should we put him in the closet? Hehe,it's like we are hiding his body,or something.."

"Yeah, I have. But hell, we're the same way. I talk WAY too fast or too much, you saw duh too much... I don't think it's time to be hypocritical." she said seriously, then grinned and nodded. "Yeah, let's lock him in the closet! Then we can go find someone else to bug! Well, we can't talk to Konan, cause she's with Nagato. Which sucks... because I wanted to talk to the only female Akastuki member... Hm... Wanna bug Fish Face?" she asked, talking too much again. She kicked Hidan's body into the closet and then shut the door. She put her hands on the ground and concentrated on the rocky earth moving up with her hands. Mel moved her hands up and with considerable amount of effort, dragged up a thick rock wall in front of the door. "Yikes... that hurt my wrist!" she snapped, rubbing her cast.

Muffin winced,eyeing both the broken wrist and the thick rock wall she didn't notice before. "Well,at least be won't be seeing Hidan anytime soon.." She nodded happily,"Yeah, let's bug Kisame-sempai! And hopefully,Itachi is there too,because he never finished that sugar talk.." She nodded indifferently.

Mel laughed and nodded, still rubbing her wrist. She walked out of the room and started down the hall, humming to the tune of her fav song All That I'm Living For.** (Tears: It's by Evanescence if you wanna look it up.)** She was just about to start singing the chorus under her breath when she bumped into someone. "GOD DAMN IT! I KEEP ON DOING THAT!" she yelled, pouting.

Tobi pouted,"Oh,Tobi is sorry! Tobi didn't see pretty lady,Tobi didn't mean to get pretty lady mad.. Oh,hi other pretty lady!" Tobi waved at Muffin happily,making her raise her brow suspiciously. He was obviously in a much chirpy mood,which made Muffin confused. Tobi giggled,"Ooh,Tobi knows a way to make it up to pretty lady!"

Melody glared. "Shut your mask, Tobi. And you know damn well your not sorry." she grumbled and got up, dusting herself off. She crossed her arms and then winced as her wrist complained. "But I'll bite. What is it?" she sighed.

Tobi chuckled,sighing at the two teenager's behavior. Both glanced at him with unconvinced looks,but remained quiet. "Actually,Pein-sama wants the entire Akatsuki to play.. _Truth or dare!_ So he told Tobi to invite pretty ladies!" He nodded happily,continuing his chirpy facade in the middle of his speech.

Mel faked a happy look and started bouncing in fake enthusiasm. "Oh yay! I'm so excited. But..." she sighed, dropping the facade. "I'll pass." she said boredly. Melody looked at Muffin. "Eh, what do you think?" she asked.

Muffin tapped her chin,before pulling Melody a few feet away from the masked boy. She whispered behind her hand,trying to keep her voice down,"Well.. Bright side,you can dare the Akatsuki to do.. Anything.." She grinned slyly,but continued,"But,he must have something up his sleeve.. He obviously doesn't do things unless it aids his master plan to take over the world.. Besides,wouldn't they just force us to come anyway?" She pouted when she added the last part,glancing towards the halls.

And just then Itachi and Kisame came by and grabbed the girls. Itachi swung Mel and she landed on his back. She quickly held on as a piggyback, not wanting to fall. Kisame just carried Muffin bridal style. "Yeah, we knew you guys wouldn't want to come. So we decided to kidnap you... again." Kisame chuckled. Mel pouted.

"But what if I don't like dares?" she whined. Itachi smirked.

"Then pick truth."

"But that's even worse!" she complained and sighed.

Kisame raised a brow,his forhead arched in confusion. He glanced at the light haired girl incredulously,"Since when? Geez,you two are the strangest girls I've ever met.." Muffin smiled goofily,"I hope that is a compliment,duh."

Kisame sweatdropped.

Mel rolled her eyes and sent Muffin a look. "Well, I guess we don't have a choice anymore, do we? Oh! And remind me later to talk to you, kay, Muffin-chan?" she said, remember that she needed to tell her friend about the semi-encounter with Emosuke.

Muffin attempted at nodding,but it was hard for the teenager when carried on somebody's arm. Muffin sent her a small smile,laughing sheepishly,"Yeah,I hear you,Mel-chan!"

Kisame raised a brow,"You know,you remind me of a kid. He was annoying... always smiling."

Muffin frowned,"Is he cute?"

Kisame shrugged,"He isn't bad looking.." Muffin clapped her hands happily,her face twisting into another goofy smile,"I don't mind,duh!"

Mel pouted. "Do I remind you of anybody?" she asked, but was ignored by the fish man. Mel rolled her eyes. She placed her chin on Itachi's shoulder. "Do I Itchy-san?" she asked and grinned widely.

Itachi blinked,before smirking down at the teenager,trying to be careful not to her wrist as he carried her. "..Yes. Yes,you do. He has the nine tailed fox in him,from Konoha.. My foolish little brother's friend,he was an idiot. But a wise idiot." Itachi laughed quietly,before continuing through the narrow halls of the Akatsuki base. They finally entered a small room,filled with pillows and a bunch of annoyed Akatsuki members.

"..Why are we doing this,un?"Deidara mumbled under his breath,earning a glare from his slave owner.. I mean,Sasori. Muffin was surpised to see Tobi was already there,licking his lollypop in waved bubbly at the group of four which whom just walked in,before tilting his head in confusion.

"Where is Hidan-san? Tobi is sure we can not start without Hidan-san!"

Pein waved his comment off dismissively,before cackling slightly,"Never mind him,Tobi."

Mel grinned and gave Itachi a one arm hug from his back. "Awww, that means so much to me Ithcy-san. And don't worry, Sasuke was may be foolish but being friends with Naruto was the one thing he's done right in his life." Melody nodded and then jumped off Itcahi's back, going to go sit on an empty pillow. She grinned suddenly. "Um, Hidan wont be making it. I saw him before... he went to a dark room somewhere and said something about tasty chickens..." Mel shurgged like she had no more clues what-so-ever to his whereabouts.

Pein blinked thoughtfully,before nodding,not wishing to explore the topic further. Kisame grinned sharkily,before dropping Muffin on a bunch of pillows. She scowled,"Hey,that hurt,you know! Besides,these pillows come from the unicorns,duh.," Awkward silence filled the room,making the atmosphere tense. The quiet moment was only broken by Pein's evil chuckles,before rubbing his non-existant evil beard menacingly.

"For those of you do don't already know.. You are present for a game.. Of truth or dara." Groans were heard around the Akatsuki members,but the annoyed scowl from their leader made them shut up abruptly. Pein sighed,"You are the most sorry bunch of evil criminals.. But that doesn't stop me from forcing you to play this game.. Tobi, spin the bottle!"

Muffin blinked,"..Bottle?"

"Ooh, I've played this way before. it's actually kinda fun!" Melody squealed, remembering playing this with her old friends. She watched as Tobi grabbed the sake bottle and spun it. It spun madly around the giant circle.

Most of the Akatsuki members watched the bottle with dread,and others just looked bored. Suddenly the spinning ceased,and finally landed on.. Deidara; Pein cleared his throat before continuing with his sentence,"Deidara,truth or dare?"

Deidara blinked warily,but replied quickly,"Truth,un." Pein tapped his chin in thought,before his lips twisted upwards. Deidara frowned,but the leader of the Akatsuki continued anyway,

"..Is it true you are a boy?" Pein asked and then chuckled menacingly.

Muffin sweat dropped.

Mel rolled her eyes.

Diedara frowned. "Duh, un. What else would I be?" he snapped. Melody chuckled.

"What else? A girl, you dumbass." she laughed quietly. A few people sweatdropped, while Diedara just formed an anime vein.

"Shut up, un!"

Mel just shrugged. "Spin the bottle Die-san. Let's see who's the next victim." Everybody sweat dropped. Deidara sighed,but walked over to the middle of the room,and bent down to reach the small pint of glass. He spun it quickly,before sitting back down on his pillow spot inbetween Sasori and Tobi. Slowing rapidly now, it landed on no one other than Muffin. Melody laughed at her friend. "Ooh, too bad for you Muffin-chan!" she teased.

She pouted,"Stupid unicorns.." Inwardly,she thought of choosing the safe base of truth,but glanced at Tobi unsurely. Deidara would pick what was going to be asked,right? She silently prayed the unicorns that he doesn't ask.. 'That' question. She scowled,"Truth."

Deidara smiled innocently,humming to himself,before turning to face the dark haired girl,"Hm,I wonder,un.." He smiled evilly,"What is your name,un?" Muffin broke in nervous sweat,seeing that he asked 'that' question.

She laughed nervously,"Muffin."

Deidara frowned,"That isn't your real name,un."

Muffin smiled goofily,"But you never said my 'real' name."

Deidara sweatdropped.

Mel smirked. "Good one." she laughed, although curious to that question as well. Oh well, she'd find out in time... "SPIN THE BOTTLE MUFFIN!" she yelled happily, suddenly hyper. Melody smiled as she rocked, hugging her knees. This was actually kinda fun, she realized. Just hanging out with S-class missing nin's and playing truth or dare. She grinned and watched as Muffin spun the bottle.

Muffin smiled deviously,before spinning the bottle,she mouthed to Melody,"Use the unicorn powers and jinx the bottle!" The translation of Muffin's crazy words were,_"Melody,use your element power to control where the bottle lands!"_ Muffin smiled innocently,as she spun the clear glass.

Melody smiled slyly and worked on manipulate the air resistance on the bottle. It spun uber slowly now until it inched it's way towards the unsuspecting Akastuki member. When it was pointing directly at him, she helped the bottle stop completely. Kakazu looked up from counting his money. "Hm? Dare." he responded to the unspoken question.

Muffin slowly made her way to the other side of the room to another empty pillow, just in cause Kakazu wanted to do anything. He might seem like a calm man,but he definitely has a bad temper. Muffin smiled evilly,him not realizing that was the biggest mistake of his life.. Well,for him,anyway. Muffin tapped her chin,"Ooh,I got it! I dare you.."

Deidara gulped,even not really friendly with the other members,just hoped nobody else had to experience the kind of torture.. Of tea parties. He shuddered,but watched as the dark haired teenaged girl continued with her speech,"I dare you to burn all your money!"

Kakazu dropped the wad of cash he was holding,startled from the dare. He rolled his eyes,"No,I will not do that. Ask me something else."

Pein coughed loudly,sending Kakazu a annoyed,irrated glare,"Kakazu.." The bounty hunter glanced up to Pein,and almost shivered. Of course he couldn't die,but looking into Pein's eyes,he remembered the old saying; _'There are things worst then death.'_

Kakazu frowned,folding his arms over his chest,giving the dark haired girl a look of distaste,"Do you know how much of a waste that would be,little girl?" Pein scowled,but as he began to warn Kakazu again,he had a bit of a threatening tone to the end of his voice,"Kakazu.." Kakazu sighed,"Fine.."

Melody giggled as she helped him burn the money. She set it afire before he even had a chance to say goodbye. She inhaled deeply. "Don't you just love the smell of burning money in the evening?" she asked the others. A lot of the others sweatdropped at the oddity of the two girls. Kakazu wiped a tear from his eye and then spun the bottle. The plastic fake glass bottle spun,as the Akatsuki members watched it with a bit of relief, because one of the new girls didn't have the 'honor' to spin. It suddenly landed on the blue skinned swordsman.

Kakazu sighed,"Truth or dare.."

Kisame grinned sharkly. "Dare, of coarse. Truth is wimpy!" he laughed loudly and this caused Melody to roll her eyes. Truth isn't wimpy, it's called being cautious cause you don't trust the ass who's asking you. she thought mildly. Kakazu rose a brow and grinned lightly.

Kakazu tapped his chin,and realized that this can be a sort of revenge,couldn't it? You don't step into a game of truth or dare with S-classed criminals and expect to get out with all of your limbs,Kakazu concluded dully. "I dare you to.. Kill those to vermin."

Pein raised a brow,before coughing under his breath with a glare in Kakazu's direction,"You can't do that.."

Kakazu sulked,waving his hand dismissively,"No,never mind.. I dare you to.." He glanced around the room,wondering what kind of thing he can get the blue skinned man to engage in. Then he smiled evilly. He glanced at the girl who dared him to burn his money. She would pay, dammit! He looked back at Kisame. He tried to look bored. "I dare you to take away all of that girls sugar-" he pointed at Muffin. "And eat it." he concluded. Hey, it was bad for the girl and for Kisame. Wasn't that a double win?

Muffin wrinkled her nose,before snickering at how perverse that sounded. "..Eat all my sugar? Dude,you do realize I'll just make more,duh?" Muffin added the last part in a whisper,behind her hand,to her light brown haired friend. Muffin pouted falsely, noting that this wasn't bad for the both of them,just for Kisame."_Oh no_,not my sugar.."

She handed Kisame her bag,which was brand new and unopened. Kisame sweat dropped,shivering at how much sugar that was.. "Only one hundred and thirty servings.. Only one hundred and thirty one servings.." He mumbled under his breath as Muffin handed him the bag,sulking slightly. She smiled evilly,a smile that on the swordsman can see,"Hey,wait,you.. Hmp!" Kisame was interrupted from his speech by the intake of sugar Muffin bestowed upon him,almost choking.

Muffin tapped her chin,"Anybody know the Heimlich maneuver?"

Melody grinned at her friend. "No." she lied.

Kisame was twitching on the ground. Then suddenly he started to convulse. Then he shot up and his eyes were very very wide. "WHOOHOOOOOOOO!" he shouted and then tore of his cloak. Itachi moved closer to Mel and covered her eyes. Diedara grudginly did so to Muffin too. He hated tea parties with Muffin, but she didn't deserve to be blind. More clothing tears and then footsteps running away. "I FEEL SO FREE!!!!!! AND HYPERRRRR!!!" Kisame shouted as he ran away. Itachi and Diedara released the girls and moved back to their pillows.

Everybody sweatdropped. "...Um, since Kisame-san is... busy, Tobi volunteers to go next!" Tobi said, raising his hand. Pein nodded, still kinda looking grossed out though.

"Uh, sure... thank you Tobi."

Tobi skipped to the middle of the room,and spun the plastic bottle happily. Tobi inwardly chuckled,before silently activating his Sharingan. Of course this wasn't a battle that he had to see what was going to be the next choice of attack,but he could at least see who was it was going to land on. He eye smiled, smirking evilly under his mask, realizing who it was; Melody. Five seconds later after this conclusion,it finally ceased it's spinning,until it slowly landed on the light haired girl. Tobi giggled,"Pretty lady's turn! Pretty lady,Tobi asks dare.. Or truth!"

Itachi raised a brow,"Isn't it truth or dare?"

Tobi eye smiled,before turning to Itachi as he spoke,"No,Tobi thinks it's dare or truth.. So,pretty lady,what do you pick?"

Melody twitched. She should have used that air resistance trick again... she realized. Then she sighed. Truth... she didn't trust Madara with that. But he might dare her to tell him something. She sighed though. "Dare." she finally uttered, tense to no end. In her mind she played out several dares he could ask and how she could slip away from a real answer.... It wasn't going to be easy though. She bit her lip and narrowed her eyes at the orange-masked evil 'good boy'. She awaited his words.

Tobi's lips thinned,noticing that she knew what he had planned. If he couldn't trick her in truth,he would just humiliate her... Tobi took a moment to wonder what he should do,and knowing that his cover up, Pein, will make sure she can't take it back. Tobi laughed,his tone on the level of childish,it was like the maturity in his entire being was gone. "Tobi dares pretty lady...To sit on Itachi-san's lap!" The entire room fell into silence at the dare,as the other S classed criminal members of the Akatsuki sweatdropped.

Mel's jaw dropped open and she grew a large sweatdrop. "N-nani?" she sputtered. She had definitely not been expecting this! She sighed then when Pein gave her a look. "Fine, fine! Whatever. Is it okay, Itchy-san?" she asked the adult Uchiha.

Pein gave the Uchiha a scolding glare,his facial expression threatening. Itachi didn't agree because he feared,but mostly because he didn't want his leader to make a scene. Itachi nodded mutely,wondering how much his foolish little brother might hate him now. He sighed,"Yes,it is."

Tobi giggled,"Also,pretty lady has to remain like that for the remainder of the game!"

Muffin sweat dropped.

Melody sent Tobi a dark glare. "I hate you even more." she snarled lowly and then climbed into Itachi's lap. She sighed. "Sorry if this causes you discomfort Itchy-san. But a dare is a dare, iie?" she laughed lightly. She gave Muffin a look that pretty much said, 'God, I hate MadMadara.'

Muffin shrugged,giving her a look in return that basically said, 'Who knew Maddy is a closet pervert?' Tobi giggled again,taking out his own bag of sugar from his cloak,the only different with this one was the doodles in crayon that apparently hinted at Tobi's 'creativity'. Tobi eye smiled,"Well,since pretty lady can't get up to spin the bottle,Tobi will do it! Pretty lady will still be the one to ask the question,of course,hehe.. Is that okay,pretty lady?"

"Fuck it, I don't give a shit." she muttered and crossed her arms over her chest. She sulked as Tobi got up and spun the bottle. While the bottle spun she tried to think of why Madara would make her sit in Itachi's lap... But she just couldn't think of any reason. She sighed finally and watched the bottle. She messed with the air resistance and made the bottle speed up. It looked like a blurred circle now. Then she made it immediately stop on Sasori. Melody grinned.

Sasori sighed,waiting for Melody to ask the question. He wondered which would be safer,after observing all the unfortunate things that happened to the other members.

Melody smiled. "Truth or dare, Sasori-kun?" she asked lightly. Sasori twitched at the nickname and frowned.

Sasori sighed,and decided to just go with dare anyway. He didn't want anybody to know his information,so decided that physical torture was better then mental. He raised a brow,glancing at the teenage girl with a frown, "Dare.."

Muffin smiled evilly,"You'll be sorry you picked that,soon.." Everybody sweat dropped.

Melody grinned and nodded. "She's right... Sasori.... I dare you to kiss Diedara on teh cheek!" Mel giggled. Diedara's jaw dropped.

"NO WAY, UN!"

Muffin snickered,"Yaoi, yaoi, yaoi!"

Melody burst out laughing at Muffin's new chant. Diedara was totally red and Sasori looked disgusted. He looked at Pein. "Do I really?" he asked, tone disbelieving.

Pein cleared his throat,suddenly feeling uncomfortable from this new interaction,"Unfortunately,for you,yes.. Hmm,I wonder if I have a camera,and can upload it to youtube.."

Deidara and Sasori sulked,before turning to each other with distaste. Sasori folded his arms across his chest,his frown deepening. He grumbled under his breath,"You people are testing my patience.. Why this brat,of all people? There are much better potential puppets in the room.."

Deidara scowled,"Hey,un!" Sasori silently got closer to the blond haired artist,until his wooden lips pressed against Deidara's cheek. After three seconds,they both pushed each other away,panting and rubbing their cheeks,disgusted.

Muffin grinned,"So,Sasori,are you the seme**(Male part of yaoi relationship)** and Deidara the uke**(Female part)**?"

Sasori twitched,"Do not test my patience anymore longer,little girl."

"What is it with you and patience? It takes a lifetime to cultivate and we don't have the patience to do that." Mel muttered. Then Muffin nodded, trying to hide the smile and chuckle that was threatening to come out. She grinned at Mel and whispered behind her hand.

"_Yes._"

"So, Sasori-kun, your turn to spin the bottle." Mel said, yawning.

Sasori frowned,but complied and the bottle spun. He sat down a few feet away,on a empty pillow near Zetsu. The bottle spun until it landed on the orange masked man,making everybody raise their brows. Sasori sighed,"Tobi,truth or dare?"

Tobi giggled,"Dare!"

Sasori smirked,"I dare you to take off your mask."

Tobi tilted his head,confused,before eye smiling and shaking his head,"No,Tobi can not do that,Sasori-san!"

The Akatsuki members turned to Pein,who smiled evilly,as he suddenly spoke up,"Sorry Sasori,pick another dare.."

Kakazu twitched,"But,that isn't fair..!"

Pein gave him a threatening glance,his voice in a dead tone warning,"Life's not fair. _Pick a new dare_."

Sasori sighed,"Fine,fine.. Tobi,I dare you to give somebody in this room a hug." Everybody sweatdropped. Tobi squealed and then looked around. "Who shall Tobi choose? Everybody is so nice..." he pondered, scratching the top of his head. T

hen he grinned and got up. "Tobi has just the person in mind to give a hug too! Tobi is such a good boy!" he said happily. Muffin suddenly couldn't feel her legs,and wondered if it were possibly the unicorns that had done this. When she glanced up to see a orange masked,she sighed,inwardly perfering the unicorns instead. Tobi giggled,hugging the dark haired teenager,latched to her waist. Muffin scowled,wondering why the old man was hugging her,and not somebody like Deidara,or something. Tobi eye smiled,"Tobi was going to hug pretty lady,but Itachi seemed to be enjoying himself.. So,I decided on other pretty lady!"

Muffin sighed,"Okay,that's all cool,but you can let go now,duh.."

Deidara sniggered,"Haha,un!"

Itachi sighed,face a bit heated from the earlier comment. "Get off her,Tobi."

Tobi pouted slightly at Itachi's voice,sighing,but slowly got off the dark haired girl. She sighed in relief,and watched as Tobi walked to the middle of the small room,and spun because it was the end of his turn. Tobi smirked from under his orange mask,knowing that nobody can see his smile,and watched quietly as the bottle slow down. The bottle whirled in it's spin,until it landed on a certain dark haired Uchiha. Tobi giggled,"Uh oh,it's Itachi-san's turn! Itachi-san,Tobi asks truth.. Or dare?"

"Tobi... I don't think it's you who gets to ask. It's Itchy-san's." Mel pointed out, rolling her dark blue eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Pein. "Right?" she asked the man, who tilted his head in response.

"it's his." he whispered to her. Mel sighed and nodded. Itachi raised a brow,debating which one was more fatal,not liking the outcome of Madara's other dare,which resulted in Melody sitting in Itachi's lap.. The man might be older then Itachi's great grandmother,but he as much as he had a devious mind,he had a perverse one. "..Truth."

Tobi tilted his head,"Hmm.. Tobi wonders what he should ask Itachi-san.."

Melody rolled her eyes and leaned back on Itachi, a little bored. She didn't entirely feel so great, although her sunny disposition had everyone fooled. She actually felt kinda tired and her wrist was beginning to throb in unison with her pulse. But she kept her light smile on her face. Besides, this was worth a little pain. Everyone in the room waited for Tobi's question. Even Itachi's breath was held. Suddenly Tobi perked up, having been struck with an idea.

Tobi eye smiled,jumping up from his cushion,the pillow hitting the poor blond haired artist instead. Deidara rubbed the back of his head,annoyed at the orange masked man that caused him physical injury,mumbling under his breath. Tobi promptly ignored the incident,acting innocent as if it never happened,before exclaiming, "Oh,Tobi has it! Itachi-san,Tobi asks if it's true.. That Itachi-san had a girlfriend before he killed his entire clan?"

Deidara twitched,"..How do you know that,un?" Tobi eye smiled,shoving his heel into the blond artist's face,making him comically fall to the floor,as if nobody saw a thing.

Itachi frowned,"..." Mel tilted her head. She herself didn't know. She half turned towards Itachi, frowning.

"Did you Itchy-san?" she asked softly. Itachi stayed silent, apparently thinking deeply.

"...It was more of a two sided crush,we were only thirteen,so it wasn't anything serious." Itachi cleared his throat,suddenly feeling awkward,and half thanking that his blue skinned partner wasn't present,because he wouldn't ever let Itachi live that down.. He sighed before reaching over slightly to spin the plastic,mostly because it was only five inches away.

"Aw, I'm so sorry Itchy-san!" Melody cried, throwing her arms awkwardly around Itachi. She hugged him tightly though. "It must have been hard." she said. Nobody knew if she meant it was because he'd never actually had a girlfriend or if he'd had to kill her. They weren't entirely sure they wanted to be clarified. The bottle spun and spun until it landed on a sugar crazed dark haired brown girl. Melody grinned. "Ha ha, poor Muffin." she laughed quietly.

Muffin scowled,"Aw man,not again! Well,at least Itachi is the one that gets to come up with it.. Right?" She laughed nervously,but stopped after the dark haired Uchiha nodded slightly,

"Yes,I am.. Truth or dare?"

Muffin smiled goofily,"Truth!"

Itachi quirked a smile at the dark haired girl,before clearing his throat. He replied,"..Is it true that you have been in a personal relationship with the opposite gender?"

Hidan rolled his eyes,turning to Kakazu and whispering behind his hand,"Why couldn't he fucking just damn asked if she fucking ever had a damn fuck buddy?"Kakazu sighed,glancing at the ashes of his now dead greens,not entirely over the dare the teenager gave him.

Muffin sulked slightly,pouting,"No,I never had a sugar buddy.. Hm,maybe I should make it my goal,you know,like how blondy wants to become Hokage,duh!"

Deidara rolled his eyes,"I'm from Iwagakura,un.. The stone,yeah."

Muffin grinned,"No you,duh! I meant.. My imaginary friend.. Yeah,let's go with that.." Everybody gave her a unconvinced stare,but just accepted it,because they believed she was just that crazy. She got up from her spot,but because of the cushion in the way,she accidently fell over and crushed the glass. She scowled,rubbing the bottom of her rectom with a look of distaste,"Ow! I lost my brownie points.."

Pein twitched,his annoyenced evident at the sudden finish of the game,realizing that he himself hadn't had a turn. "What a nuisance.. Fine,I deem this game over.." Everybody breathed a sigh in relief,as everybody except Itachi, Muffin, and Melody shuffled out of the door before their leader made them do anything else stupid.

Melody made a face. "Um... how did Hidan get out of my closet?" she asked Muffin, climbing out of Itachi's lap to sit in between the two. Her face was utterly confused. But at Muffin's shrug she let it go. No doubt that their room was littered with stone and left over splinters of the door.

Muffin tapped her chin,"Hm.. Maybe he forgives easily,duh? Er,on second thought.." Itachi quietly exited,leaving the two teenagers to their own devices. The second the door closed behind him,it opened again with a click,revealing the silver haired Jashin practictioner. He folded his arms,giving the two teenagers a pointed glare,

"...I will fucking forget all that shit ever fucking happened if you give me my damn chicken."

"NEVER! CLARISSE DOESN'T LIKE YOU!" Melody screamed, jumping to her feet. She crossed her arms over her chest. "And it only serves you right, you shithead. You were such a meanie poopie head earlier that we had to lock you in a closet for revenge!"

She stuck her tongue out at him... then paused. "By the way... how the hell did you get out of that? I thought I blocked it with a stone wall!" she complained.

He blinked,giving her a stare that made him look convinced that they both were definitely crazy,"..Who the fuck is Clarisse? 'Cause if that is fucking what your little shit ass fucking named my damn chicken.." He sighed,trying to calm down and remember the things from his anger management class,_"It's fucking okay Hidan,you are fucking better then that... You fucking don't need that damn chicken."_ He breathed,before turning to the teenagers that looked at him strangely,folding his arms across his chest. He rolled his eyes,"I got the fuck out of that damn stone wall 'cause I fucking am a damn ninja!"

"Well, duh! It didn't have a name tag, poor thing. So I named her Clarisse... Because Clarisse sounds cute!" Melody grinned aloofly. Then she rolled her eyes. "You really shouldn't swear so much Hidan... What if Jashin thought bad of you because of it?" she asked, blinking. She tilted her head, slightly confused to the matter. Then she turned to Muffin. "Don't you think?" she asked.

The silver haired man suddenly grew an anime vein,thinking,_'Fuck anger management!'_ He scowled,gritting his teeth in resentment,"Jashin-sama's fucking religion is damn based on that kind of shit!" He sighed,turning towards the door,clenching his fist tightly. He started to mumble to himself about sacrificing teenage girls would get him in trouble,before stomping outside of the room.

Muffin blinked,"Somebody has issues,duh.."

Melody pouted. "It was just a question. Damn, he really is a meanie poopie head..." she muttered and then sighed. "Well, I guess we should go clean up our room, iie?" she asked her companion.

Muffin smiled slightly,nodding in agreement,realizing that possibly the silver haired man might have trashed their room in anger or his escape. Muffin couldn't really tell. "Hehe,yeah,we should.. I just hope he didn't do a ritual while we were gone.." She sweatdropped at the thought,before shaking her head,shivering slightly at the conclusion. Wrinkling her nose,she followed her light brown haired friend down the narrow halls towards their room.

* * *

**xXBittersweet MelancholyXx: *Suddenly appears out of nowhere.* Hello again! Hehe,weren't expecting me,ne?**

**Deidara: *Sweatdrops.* No,most of us were,but were hoping you wouldn't show up,yeah..**

**xXBittersweet MelancholyXx: *Glares,but suddenly grins deviously.* Oh,look,I think I see Muffin!**

**Deidara: Holy crap,un! *Hides behind sofa.***

**xXBittersweet MelancholyXx: *Cackles evilly.* Here is chapter fourteen,which we both Tears and I wrote,like as in,at the same time.. It's pretty long,so please,enjoy it! Hehe,and don't forget to review at the end! 'Cause it's hard torturing.. I mean,writing,fictional characters.. Without some thing to.. Keep us going? *Sweatdrops.* Thank you,and please enjoy the fourteenth chapter!**

**Tears: That was the secret. Both me and Bittersweet wrote this together! :) REVIEW PLEASE!  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**Another quick update! BUT NO REVIEWS! How sad that made me. I think the only reviewer was Smalls. Thanx Smalls!**

**Oh, by the way, readers. You should read her story, Kakashi had a Kid? because it's adorable! I swear! Makes me laugh a lot.**

**OK, so sorry if there are any grammar mistakes. I don't think so but you never know. They like to sneak up on you. :) SO, please enjoy!**

**Mel: They better enjoy, I'm not having a fun time right now. *glower***

**Me: he he he.**

**

* * *

**_Chapter Fifteen_

Muffin's scowl deepened as she glanced around the room. Across the room was shattered glass,broken wood,and messed up concrete. Muffin blinked,before folding her arms across her chest,pointing to a small little circle of blood. She sniffled,speaking in a dead toned voice,"Hidan took our chicken.."

She pouted,"Meanie.."

Melody cried anime tears. "Clarisse never had a chance!" She exclaimed and threw herself to the ground. A feather floated in the air, gravity taking hold of it. Mel snatched it and pinned it in her hair. "Damn him..." She muttered, arms now crossed over her chest. Sometimes it was scary how quick her emotions changed.

Muffin nodded wildly,agreeing with her light brown haired friend,scowling as well.. She never taught it the wonders of sugar,she thought sourly. Muffin blinked,"Hey,Mel-chan.. When we visited Oro-hentai and Emosuke,wasn't Emosuke the same age as us?" Muffin sat down next to her friend,sitting on a large broken piece of the boulder,whispering under her breath to her friend,"Where are we in the timeline?"

Melody blinked. "Um... Crap, I don't know. Well, Sasori is still alive, so we're fairly early in Shippuden or maybe we aren't in the Shippuden stage at all yet. I have no clue, to be honest." She shrugged, but was obviously perplexed by this statement. When were they? At what time had the plushy sent them to? Mel chewed on her bottom lip in thought. Finally, Mel sighed in defeat. They wouldnt know until something of importance happened that signified a part of Shippuden.

Muffin tapped her chin,glancing around the room with a look of distaste,"Hm.. I wonder.." She rubbed her temples furiously,as if trying to focus hard on something. When nothing happened,she sighed in defeat,sulking slightly. "Aw man! It doesn't work!" She pouted at the newfound discovery,completely lost in her own world. She turned to Melody with a awkward smile,laughing sheepishly,"I was trying to make things appear out of nowhere.. Some place else.. So that our job is easier.." She sweatdropped.

Mel tilted her head. "What were you trying to make appear?"She asked her friend. "From what place?"

Muffin shook her head,smiling deviously at her light brown haired friend. She stood up from her spot,pointing at the boulder,"Not here.. Make the stuff around here appear some place else.. What's the word.. Oh yeah,disappear,duh!" Just as she was about to sit down,the rubble under her disappeared,making her scowl in annoyence. "Ow,that hurt,duh!"

Melody laughed but then her eyes widened. "You did it Muffin! You did it!"She squealed, jumping to her feet and clapping hysterically. She grinned. "This is awesome! Like, uberly awesome!" Her grin widened until the hard stone she was standing on dissapeared and she started to fall. "Crappit!"

Muffin rubbed the back of her head sheepishly,holding out another to to her friend,"Er,sorry Mel-chan.." Suddenly random things in the room started to disappear,some shards of broken glass,and some rubble. Abruptly,a sound in the other room made Muffin wince as she heard the leader of the Akatsuki's voice,"..My rubber ducky!"

She laughed nervously,"Oops.."

Mel started to burst out laughing. "No wonder Itachi feels uncomfortable about rubber duckies!" she gasped through her laughter, hugging her sides. Finally, she straightened herself and wiped a tear from her eyes. "It's ok, Muffin. At least we physically don't have to pick up Hidan's mess." She grinned.

A timid knock was heard at the door,making Muffin glance at Melody uncertainly. Silently making her way over to the door,she opened it to find the dark haired Uchiha behind. He glared,folding his arms across his chest,pointing his thumb towards outside of the room,"..Did you do that?" Muffin blinked,"Do what?" Itachi raised a brow as the wails from the other room increased,nodding to the wall in the direction of the screams,"..That."

Melody started laughing all over again. Then she walked over to Itachi and grinned. "Oh, come on, Itchy-san! You got to admit that is funny!" she chuckled and leaned against the doorway. She was grinning. Mel chuckled again. "Muffin, your such a genius..." she whispered to her friend.

Muffin smirked at her light brown haired friend,shadows showing under her eye lids, whispering back in a dry voice,"..I know." She coughed before grinning goofily at the raven haired Uchiha,nodding wildly,"Yeah,loosen up,duh! Maybe you should have some sugar.." She nodded matter of factly.

Itachi sweatdropped,raising a brow."..It is fattening."

Mel even sweatdropped. " Actually, I saw Itachi eating sugar before the Truth or Dare game... He doesn't need any right now." she laughed, eye twitching. Then she gave Itachi a look, pretty much saying 'You owe me more that save.' Then she yawned, sliding down the doorway and sitting on the ground.

Itachi nodded at the light brown haired teenager,before turning towards the two with a impassive expression. "Pein-sama wants you two in fifteen minutes.." Muffin laughed nervously,"Er.. What for?" Itachi quirked a quiet smile,"This was before the rubber ducky accident.." He walked away from the duo before he quietly exited,closing the door behind him. Muffin stared at the door,tilting her head slightly,"What do you think he wants? Sugar,duh?"

Melody blinked and rushed after Itachi. Over her shoulder she gave Muffin a shrug. "I have no idea... But he's certainly gonna be pissed at you!" she luaghed and then jumped onto Itachi's back for the millionth time. She chuckled. "Hello."

Muffin pouted,but blinked at realization;Pein didn't have proof! He didn't know she could make things randomly appear,because she was sure he didn't probe into Melody's and Muffin's minds.. Yet. Muffin shuddered,before glancing around at her lack of a companion. "Hmm? Where did Mel go?" Shrugging,she lifted her hand to turn the knob,but her hand was blocked.. She tilted her head,seeing the object of her troubles was yellow.. Rubbery.. Her eyes widened in horror;It was the rubber ducky,crap!

Mel laughed and hugged Itachi's neck. Itachi just gave her a look from over his shoulder. "Why do you do that?" he asked, rather impatiently. It kinda bugged him when she suddenly jumped on his back like that.

Mel shrugged. "I don't know. You just remind me of how I pictured a dad." Mel admitted quietly, looking away. Itachi blinked and started walking, holding onto her. Mel frowned. "Hey... where did Muffin go? I thought she was following us!"

Muffin strangled her hand,banging it on the door way. She started to break in nervous sweat,wondering how come Pein's rubber ducky wasn't coming off.. She shuddered,not wanting to know what the leader of the Akatsuki would do when he finds out she was the cause for his missing rubber bath toy.. She glanced at the clock above the door,and panicked some more;Eight minutes had passed,meaning she had another seven to get rid of the evidence.. She held the hand behind her back,hoping it wasn't too inconspicious.. She sighed before opening the door with her other hand,and wandering down the halls.

Itachi shrugged, not really interested in the fact. "She'll show up soon..." he told her. But Mel was worried. What if Hidan had come back for a teenage sacrifice? What if Diedara was having revenge for his tea party? What if- "Don't fret about it, Melody. Muffin's a big girl." Itachi pointed out, noticing how Mel's hands had tensed. Melody sighed and nodded.

"Ok.... I hope she doesn't get lost." Mel muttered.

Muffin tip toed down the halls,trying to be sneaky,like a ninja.. Too bad that couldn't be accomplished when in an entire base full of them,S-classed ninjas no less; An annoyed cough behind the dark haired girl wavered her attention,making her turn around mid step. A blonde haired artist stood there,arms folded over his chest with a scowl. Muffin smiled goofily,about to wave with her bath toy hand,but stopped her self before she did. She used her other hand to wave at the blonde happily,ignoring his downcast expression,"Dei-kun!"

Deidara scowled,"Muffin,un.."

She blinked,"Yeah,Dei-kun?"

"Don't call me that,yeah!"He snapped,before clearing his throat. His cheeks tinted slightly as he shuffled his feet nervously. Muffin waited a bit impatiently,hoping that Pain wouldn't yell at her,or get suspicious enough to actually be wary.. He sighed,giving the dark haired teenager a sulking,defeated look,"Do you.. Have more sugar,un?"

Finally, Itachi walked into Pein's throne room. Mel sighed and then jumped off his back, skipping to the wall. She leaned against it in a bored fashion. "Well, whats this all about?" she asked. Pein rose a brow and scowled at her.

"First, we have to wait for Muffin. There is a separate meeting with you two before the Akastuki meeting." he snapped and then looked around. "What's taking her so _long?!_ Itachi, go find the nuisance of a girl." he snapped the command. Itachi nodded mutely before rushing out the door.

"I don't think giving him sugar was the best idea.." Muffin mumbled to herself,tapping her chin thoughtfully. Infront of her was a blonde haired artist,almost literally taking off on the walls.. If the artist inhaled any more sugar,the walls might not be the only thing Deidara takes off.. Muffin blinked,wondering if that was a good thing or not,especially when he was on a sugar rush.. She shrugged,before turning around to continue on her way.. Until her head colided with another cloaked member,making her rub her head down castedly. "Ow! Oh.. Hi Itachi,did you come for sugar too?"

The dark haired Uchiha towered over the teenager,quirking a small smile. "No,I came because Pein-sama is getting impatient.. ..Why are you holding your hand behind your back?" He asked nonchalantly,but still frowned slightly. Muffin laughed nervously,"No reason! Er.. Come on,before Pein gets mad,eh?"

Melody was humming an innocent tune, subtly keeping an eye on the cackling form. Then Pein yawned and got up. "Well, I can feel Itachi's chakra coming back. I'll just leave for a second. Tell Itachi to keep watch at the door and make sure you two dont go out. Or else." The way he said 'or else' made Mel shiver slightly. But she nodded, trying to seem innocent.

"..And that is exactly why sugar is _not _fattening!"Muffin said,walking through the door with a very disinterested Uchiha in tow. Itachi sighed inaudibly,relief inwardly washing himself through his mind. Muffin grinned at the light brown haired teenager,giving her a thumbs up,

"Mel! Guess what? Deidara asked me for sugar! Ha,I knew he liked it,and was totally in denial!" She laughed before walking over to her best friend. She sat down next to her,making sure to keep the rubber ducky hidden from view.. Itachi raised a unconvinced brow,wondering if the blonde haired artist hit his head.

He repeated with a dead tone,"Yes,denial.."

Mel smiled and laughed lightly at this new discovered fact and then frowned. "Itchy-san? Pein told me he wants you to stand guard outside and make sure nobody comes in... or out." she muttered the last part, hoping he wouldn't hear. Then she sighed. "Now the old fart needs to get in here... Where did he go anyways? The toilet?" she asked herself.

Muffin shrugged,"Or cackle evilly.. Or do other evil activities.."

Itachi nodded in acknowledgement at the light brown haired teenager,shuffling towards the door. Muffin sighed,picking at her finger nails.. Blinking at the rubber ducky,she quickly hid it behind her back,laughing sheepishly. Breaking in nervous sweat again,she wondered what the leader of the Akatsuki wanted.. The manga back at her world didn't show much of the Akatsuki,and when they did,it was mostly hints to some type of evil master plan,Muffin concluded thoughtfully. "Hey Mel,what do you think he wants?"

Mel frowned. "I don't know. But don't you think it's a little strange that he just wants to talk to both of us? I thought he despised us." she rolled her eyes. Then she sighed. But a sweet voice broke her away from her thoughts.

"Oops? Oh, hi pretty ladies!" Childish laughter filled the room, making Mel sweatdrop.

Itachi narrowed his eyes at the masked man,raising a unconvinced brow. "..Tobi? What are you doing here? ..This is Pein-sama's meeting room." Tobi giggled again,eye smiling from his orange mask. "Oh,Itachi-san,Tobi didn't see you there!" He ran over to the Uchiha in an attempt to give him a hug,but the dark haired Uchiha side stepped him. Tobi fell face first in the ground,pouting slightly,"Ow! Tobi thinks that hurts.."

Itachi sighed,"You never answered my question,Tobi.."

Tobi eye smiled,"Tobi is sorry,Itachi-san! Tobi just got lost.. But when Tobi saw pretty ladies,he wanted to stop by and say a quick hello!"

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "Well, their busy with Pein. Get out." he snapped coldly. Mel smirked at this. But Tobi just eye smiled some more and tilted his head.

"Oh, but Pein-sama wants me here! Tobi promises!" Tobi said, putting up three fingers as if he was a girl scout. Melody sweatdropped.

Itachi raised a brow,"Fine.. Though,please sit down quietly,Pein-sama will be angered if you provoke him.."

Tobi clapped his hands happily,before skipping down to the two brunette teenagers. Both teenagers raised their brows at the masked man. He dumped himself inbetween Muffin and Melody,making them scowl in annoyence. Tobi eye smiled,taking out a couple of crayons,and picking at the wrappers. Muffin sighed,before attempting at inching away. Tobi paused in his unproductive activity,before giggling mischieviously. "Ooh,pretty lady has leader-sama's rubber ducky!" Muffin's eyes widened,inwardly scowling at the evil man's antics.. She shushed him loudly in her panick,"Shh!"

Melody was nervous. "Tobi, why does Pain want you here? And _where the hell is he?_" she asked, rather impatiently. Then she tilted her head. "Muffin, where did you get that?" she asked, trying to ignore the orange masked evil badguy's chuckles. Her friend tried to look innocent, although failing.

Tobi accidently broke a crayon in two,looking up at the light brown haired teenager. Tobi scratched the back of his head,pouting childishly at his broken crayon. He whined,"Aw man,that was Tobi's favorite crayon! It was _orange!" _Tobi wiped away an nonexistant tear from the location his eyes would be,before tilting his head curiously at Melody.

"Pein-sama said Tobi could be here,because Pein-sama wants Tobi.. But it's super duper secret!"He added the last part in a whisper,behind his gloved hand. Muffin sweat dropped,before giving the rubber bath toy a evil eye. She sighed,"Actually,I don't know how or why I got it.. It just won't come off!"

Mel smiled a little. "Pein's gonna hate you.... even more." she added the last part as an afterthought. She's rememebered that Pein already hated the both of them. Melody scrunched up her nose in distaste the Tobi and sighed. Quite suddenly she sneezed. "Damn allergies." she muttered. "It's really dusty in here... Doesn't Pein ever do spring cleaning?!" Now Mel was just bored and asking dumb questions.

Muffin nodded sadly,sniffling in her dramatic anime escapade,"Imagine what he'll do when he finds his bath toy.." She shuddered from imagining what he was going to do,before blinking it out thoughtfully.. She rubbed her forhead's temples,before a bag of sugar magically made it's enterance.. Tobi giggled,looking from his colorful crayons to his unsuspecting victim.. The paper that held the pounds of sugar just looked empty and lonely,to which the orange masked man pointed out. She smiled evilly as she stuffed her bath toy infested hand through the sugar bag,completely ignoring Tobi by this point.. She silently hoped that it wasn't too noticeable.. The door slammed open with a thud,making the room go creepily silent.. Evil cackles were followed,making every inhabitant in the room except Tobi sweat drop.. Pein cleared his throat,his eyes narrowing at the two teenaged girls. "Now that I'm off the toliet.."

Muffin whispered behind her hand,to her light brown haired friend,"Whoa,you were right,Mel! He was on the toliet! Er.. I hope he washed his hands.."

Tobi eye smiled,"Pein-sama is so evil,he doesn't need to other pretty lady! Neither does Tobi,even though he is a good boy!" The orange masked man nodded happily,while both of the teenagers sweat drop at the Uchiha in disguise's behavior.. Pein coughed loudly,as if trying to gain everybody's attention.. He smirked evilly,"Hello,Melody,Muffin.. Let me explain why you are here.."

Melody scooted away from the orange masked boy in disgust. Then she shuddered at what Tobi had said. "I wish I had hand sanitizer." she whispered to Muffin. Then she sighed and jumped to her feet. "So, Pein... why are we here? What's this all about?" she asked bored. Mel looked over at Muffin to see her pushing her rubber duckie hand deeper into the powder. That made her chuckle.

Muffin shot her friend a look,silently hoping that Pain didn't take notice of her friend's amusement.. Muffin pouted at her sugar coated hand,before looking up to listen to what the leader of the Akatsuki had to say. Pein smiled deviously,before turning his back on them to face the wall. He cleared his throat,before he spoke in an attempted voice of authority,

"The Akatsuki is an organization used to reach.. Certain goals. Here at the Akatsuki,most of us are busy,and don't have the time or energy to deal with two little teenaged brats.." He sent a glare in the direction of the duo,before continuing with his unexpected speech,"Because of this reason,we can not just let you go.. Besides,there was a reason why we retrieved you two.."

The two teenaged girls sent him a cautious stare,wary of anything he was about to bring up. He exhaled a breath of air,his chest heaving in momentary relief. "Whew,being so evil and devious wears me out.." Both girls sweat dropped,confused at the sudden lack of attempted seriousness. He coughed before regaining his composture,arching his brows together. "That is why I will talk to the both of you individually,because it is obvious after your sparring matches with the Akatsuki that it is easier to over power you alone.. Not easy,but nevertheless easier.."

Mel narrowed her eyes. "No." she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. "I think that if you have something to say, than you say it to us both. Right Muffin?" Mel asked, jaw clenched. She has a sinking feeling in her gut. Hm... why did people use that expression? Their gut wasn't really sinking... so why say it was? Mel sighed suddenly.

Pein's eyes narrowed. "You will have separate meetings. Tobi, please hold back the defiant brat. Muffin, follow me." he snapped, whisking away. Mel glared as Tobi held her wrist.

"Tobi promises not to hurt pretty lady. Oi, other pretty lady! You should go follow Pein-sama!" he nodded.

Tobi moved his arm to grasp Melody's elbows as well. To the naked eye it looked gentle,but the grip of his palm tightened on the light brown haired girl's shoulders. Melody scowled,disliking the turn of events. Muffin laughed sheepishly from where she was at,breaking in nervous sweat. She glanced at her hand that was buried under the mountains of sugar inside of her bag,before standing up warily. She gave her light brown haired friend a unconvinced smile,before narrowing her own eyes at the orange masked man. She spoke in a threatening tone, directed to the other people present. Shadows formed under her eyes,"Don't worry Mel,they won't try anything if they know what's good for them.." She coughed awkwardly before smiling goofily,the scary aura around her gone.

"Kay,er,lead on Pein!"She said chirpily,glancing down at her sugar coated hand again. Everybody in the room sweatdropped except Pein,who was busy in his evil laugher. He blinked,stopping the musing erupting from his chest to stare back at the dark haired girl.

"Really? Hm,I was expecting more of a fight.. Interesting.. Besides that,follow me.. Tobi,keep an eye on her,understood?" Tobi nodded happily,his grasp getting more strong on the girl's shoulders. Melody winced,gritting his teeth in obvious annoyence. "Yes,Tobi will watch over pretty lady!" After the orange masked man spoke,Pain nodded over to the dark haired teenaged girl in the direction of a door. The two silently exited the room,the small door they disappered behind closing with a light click.

"Let. The. _Fuck._ Go! Of. Me!" Mel snarled, struggling to rid herself of Madara's tightening grip. Mel hised through her teeth as Madara just giggled hysterically.

"Tobi can't, pretty lady! Besides, Pein said to make sure you don't go after him and other pretty lady. Tobi doesn't trust you because Melody is a bad girl." he said, nodding. Mel sweatdropped, finding those last few words a little disturbing. But Tobi just continued giggling, grip agonizing on her shoulder and elbow. She could even feel bruises starting to appear on her skin.  
In another room, Pein stopped and turned. "Close the door, Muffin... Now... for our secret meeting of doom!" He started to cackle evilly.

Muffin shrugged,before closing the other door of the room they were in. Muffin blinked,glancing around the small little room.. There was thin maroon carpet on the floor,and a few comfy looking chairs.. But what surpised the dark haired teenager was their.. Matching wallpaper? Across the wall was rubber ducky wallpaper,the bath toy's yellow clashing badly with the dark redish brown color. She tilted her head,wondering how Pein obtained that kind of wallpaper,and why it didn't cover the rest of the Akatsuki base..Then again,it's better it doesn't,Muffin thought shuddering slightly. She frowned,"Meeting of doom? You mean like,with sugar,right?"

Pain shook his head,"No.. Actually.. I want to ask you some questions.."

Muffin blinked,"What kind of questions?"

Pain scowled,"I ask the questions,so don't question me! Now.. First question,how old are you?"

She grinned goofily,"Five,duh!"

He raised a brow,"Okay.. Hm,what is your name?"

"Muffin,duh.. Didn't I tell you that?"She rubbed the back of her head,confused.

Pain twitched,before face palming his forhead. He shook his head,before sighing at the dark haired teenager's behavior. He sent her a threatening glance,which the dark haired girl promptly ignored,busy 'admiring' the rubber ducky wallpaper. Pain scowled,because he didn't like being ignored for his cool rubber ducky wallpaper.. And also he thought it didn't do his evil reputation any good. "Muffin,focus! Hm.. You know what? You are annoying,I can just probe your mind for the answers.."

She smiled evilly,"No,you can't."

Pain's scowl deepened,"Yes,I can!"

She shook her head,before tapping her chin thoughtfully. She folded her arms across her chest childishly,"No,you can't! That is.. Um.. Against villian rules,and stuff,duh..?" She broke in nervous sweat,silently hoping he would buy that.. Pain's eyes widened,his lips thinning in a small frown. He gazed down at her,raising a suspicious brow,"It is? Hm.. Why haven't I heard of it,then?"

She laughed nervously,"'Cause,you aren't evil enough,duh! Besides,if you want to be evil.. You should know it's like,the number one villian rule,duh!"

Pain scowled,"Very well.. On to the next question.."

During this time Mel was getting angry. Tobi was still holding her and she was wondering if she should call out to Itachi for help. But Tobi seemed to be a step ahead of her and suddenly his hand was over her mouth. Melody uttered a muffled scream, hoping maybe Itachi or Muffin might hear. But nobody came to save her.

_Ugh, it's his right hand too!_ Mel thought, disgusted. She sighed through her nose and winced as Maddy's grip tightened even more for a brief moment. Then he chuckled and went back to the 'normal' hard grip on her elbow. Melody hoped Muffin's meeting would hurry up. She was getting nervous and fidgety here all alone with Madara.

Pain inwardly groaned,wondering why it was so hard to get answers from this teenaged girl.. He sighed,turning away from the dark haired girl in favor of the wall. He cleared his throat,before continuing with his speech with a tone of authority,"Last question,Muffin.."

Muffin tilted her head,confused,"Hmm?"

Pain smiled evilly,his evil expression hidden from his tall back. He coughed,responding to the dark haired teenager. "I've noticed you haven't lifted the hand in your sugar bag once,and it seems.. Unusual.." Muffin tensed,her eyes growing wide.. She wondered how the leader of the Akatsuki noticed.. Pain hummed quietly to himself,until he turned to face her. "Muffin,lift your hand."

Muffin shook her head wildly,"Er.. I can't!"

Pain raised a suspicious brow,"Muffin.." The dark haired girl sighed,wondering if death hurt.. Well,if she stalled on,she didn't know what Madara would do with her friend.. She pouted,before slowly withdrawing her sticky hands from the bag of white crystals. Much to her surpise,the rubber ducky was gone.. She wiped a brow of sweat with her other hand in relief.. Pain scowled,realizing he had nothing to boost up his evil ego.. He sighed,before opening the small door of the room. He gestured towards the exit, before speaking flatly,"Dismissed.."

"MMPHN!" Mel shouted, still muffled by Madara's hand. "MHLPH! she cried, anime tears in her eyes.

"Tobi,what are you doing to Melody?"

A monotonic voice asked from behind them. Itachi and Muffin stood on the other side of the hallway,raising suspicious brows. Tobi giggled childishly,letting go of the light brown haired teenager. Tobi hid his laugher behind his gloved hand,"Hehe,Tobi was making sure pretty lady was a good girl while Pain-sama questioned other pretty lady.. Itachi-san,I didn't see you walk into the room with Pein-sama,how did you get in?"

Itachi narrowed his eyes at the orange masked man. "He requested that I escort Muffin back into the main room.. And to escort Melody for her individual meeting.." Tobi tilted his head curiously,before eye smiling at the raven haired Uchiha. "Oh,okay Itachi-san!" Muffin helped her light brown haired friend up,whispering behind her hand,"Hey,Mel,you okay?"

"Maddy has a tight grip." she muttered, rubbing her now darkly bruised elbow. Then she sighed and got up hastily, nervous to be around the orange masked fellon. She gave Muffin a smile and then walked with Itachi outside. She was still rubbing her achy elbow. No doubt there was also a bruise on her shoulder. Damn Madara,Melody thought.

Tobi eye smiled,"Hello,other pretty lady!"

Muffin raised a brow,"Er.. You are not going to hold me down?" Tobi shook his head,the orange mask on his face bouncing slightly. "No,Tobi is not! Tobi thinks other lady will behave more.." Muffin gave him a incredulous look,before glancing down at her bag of sugar. She "You are saying that I,usually hyper and sugar high,am more.. Behaving?" Tobi nodded happily,currently occupied with his colorful crayons. "Yes,Tobi thinks so! Tobi thinks Muffin is much more rationally smart,and won't do anything that would be risky.."

Muffin frowned,"But Melody is smart,though.."

Tobi giggled,"Of course! Pretty lady is much more smarter then the people her age.. Actually,pretty lady is much more smarter then Itachi-san's brother,and that isn't a easy feat,Tobi thinks so!" Muffin folded her arms across her chest,eyeing the orange masked man suspiciously. "But how does that make me smarter,duh?" Tobi chuckled with a deeper,thicker laugh,making Muffin's frown deepen. "I think you already know the answer,'Muffin'."

Melody walked into the room, giving Itachi a sketchy smile. he nodded luck to her and then closed the door. The room was dark. "Eh? Pein ya here?" she asked, still clutching her elbow. But now it was more form nervousness. A dark chuckle answered her. She sweatdropped.

Pain cleared his throat,stopping his cackling for the moment. "Melody,you are here already? Hmm.. That was relatively quick.. But nevermind that,come in.." Melody slowly entered the room,before glancing around the small little space. Why are the wallpapers with rubber duckies,she wondered to herself. Pain cackled evilly,before motioning to a small little seat. Hesitatingly,she sat down in one of the maroon colored chairs. Pain coughed,"Now.. I know you don't like being put in this predictament.. So I'll make you a deal.. I'll ask a question,and you'll ask a question.." Pain turned to face the light brown haired teenager,to see if she had any objections to the situation.. When he was met with silence,his lips curled into a slight smirk. He towered over the brunette before he continued on,"Hm.. First question.. How old are you,Melody?"

"Fifteen. How old are you?" she asked, knowing she was being a smart ass.

Pain pursed his lips before replying flatly,"..Old." He sighed,before turning to the light haired teenager. "Melody.. I observed your outstanding control of different elements.. You know,only a person that possesses a special blood trait called the Rinnigan can do that.." He smiled deviously,before his eyes turned from it's normal color into a light lavender. "This is the Rinnigan,Melody Char.. Can I ask you how you can control so many elements,Melody?"

"No." she said simply, smiling deviously. He wasn't very good at asking for information. Especially with me... she laughed mentally. "And I know what the Rinnigan is." she huffed. She wasn't a child! She didn't like being treated like she knew nothing. "So, Pein... Where's Konan?" she asked.

He raised a brow,folding his arms across,"Not many know about the Rinnigan.." He shrugged at the sudden question,but still a bit curious at why she would want to know about his partner.. "Konan is most likely in the kitchen.. Because she is a woman.." He nodded stupidly,before he started to cackle again. "Besides that.. You know Melody.. There has been people that could control elements without the Rinnigan.."

She frowned,"There has?"

He smirked lightly,"Yes.. But unfortunately.. They couldn't control the elements,and eventually destroyed themselves and the people around them.. Although,this happened because the person found some type of rainbow thing.. I really doubt you found the rainbow thing,because it is said in the legends to be in an entirely different universe.." He shook his head,not noticing the alarmed look in the teenager's eyes.

"But besides that.. I have developed a type of pill that will slow you down if you ever become a harm to yourself or others.. That is where Konan is,right now.. She is securing the pills in a small little pills capsule,so that it looks inconspicious as you travel.."

Melody tilted her head,"Can I tell Muffin?"

Pain scowled,"..No."

Melody folded her arms across her chest,glaring at the leader of Akatsuki. "What if she sees them,accidently?" Pain towered over her,smiling dangerously down at her. He laughed darkly,"Don't let Muffin see or I'll find a way to make the people you care for suffer.."

Mel felt her face drain of color. "Let me guess... you want me to take the pills no matter what I say..." she whispered. At Pein's nod she sighed. "Ok. I'll take them." she whispered, defeated. She didn't want anything to happen to Muffin or anybody else she cared about. That would be bad...

Plus, the thing about the plushy spooked her. She didn't want to combust! Death was one of her hysteric fears! Mel took a deep breath. "Is this meeting over yet?"

He cackled a few times,before clearing his throat. "One more thing.. Sasori and Deidara are leaving in the morning to capture the Kazekage.. I want you and your friend,Muffin,to go with them.. Am I perfectly clear?" He eyed her with an evil eye,but at the slight nod,he gestured to the door. "Oh.. And before you leave,go to the kitchen and ask Konan for a rubber ducky.. It's a codename for the pills.. Understand?"

She blinked,"Why rubber ducky?"

He scowled,"Don't question me! Dismissed!"

Suddenly Melody stiffened, eyes hardening as her hands curled into fists slowly. Pein noticed this and gave her a curious look. Melody started to clench her jaw tightly, so hard that it made the bone ache. Her eyes narrowed and her lip curled upward. The fire in the goblets and flames of candles flared and the ground started to shake lightly, although barely noticeable. Pein shot her a worried look. Melody thought she was too emotional.

The images of the anime shot through her head. Gaara; falling under the cleverness of Diedara. Diedara laughing and sending Gaara to his doom. Gaara dying. Diedara sitting on Gaara's lifeless corpse. It made her even angrier than Naruto-nii had been. 'And I wasn't even a Jinchuriki! I had to stop it, no, I couldn't even loose him for even that instance. Even if Chiyo would revive him. He didn't deserve to die. No! No!'Melody thought,panicking.

"NO!" She screamed, and the flames in the room shot to the ceiling. A breeze that hadn't been there before blew angrily at Pein's cloak. The ground gave a heavy tremble. Tears sprung in her eyes and the liquid fell down her face quickly. When they fell off her chin they hung suspended in the air. I won't allow this, she thought. Melody didn't care if this was reckless. Melody didn't care if this blew my cover or even Muffin-chan's. The emotions raged inside her, making her wild. Her heart ached along with her jaw, which she was clenching again.

And then Muffin-chan knocked her out.

* * *

**xXBittersweet MelancholyXx: Ha,did you really knock her out?**

**Muffin: (Smiles evilly,and nods.) Well,duh!**

**xXBittersweet MelancholyXx: (Sweatdrops.) Er.. Hope you enjoyed,it's pretty long,eh?**

**Muffin: (Shrug.) I've seen longer..**

** xXBittersweet MelancholyXx: (Falls anime style.) Er.. Please review,we will give you a virtual.. Er.. Something free,that is all that should matter,right? (Wink.)**

**Tears: Hell yeah! So review! -laughs-  
**


	16. AUTHORS IMPORTANT NOTE! DO NOT SKIP!

**Tears: Hello faithful reviewers who are probably wondering why the hell this isn't chapter sixteen!**

**Bittersweet: *Nods happily.* Yeah! Well,we'll explain this to you.. (Coughs awkwardly.) Eh,Tears,maybe you should break the news, ne? **

**Tears: :/ Um, ok. So....... Me and Bittersweet have created a blog!!!! For this story, of coarse. :) There is an explanatory post there, duh, but we thought we'd tell you a little here too, to gain your interest so you actually go read and comment on the blog. :)**

**Bittersweet: Yeah! It'll have interviews,spoilers, etc... So please, don't miss out, and read/enjoy the blog! Thanks for your time. ;)**

**Tears: Also, we're asking if any of you reviewers want to be a 'Reporter'. A 'Reporter' is the person who will interview a character of their choice, unless the character has already been interviewed. Volunteer Reporters will have their jobs explained to them later. Gracias! **

** lol, almost forgot to give you the link. **

http : / / whyusyoustupidplushy. blogspot. com /

**(Just delete the spaces, ka? We expect to see your comments! ;D)**

**(BTW! Chp 16 is almost done. expect it in a couple of days!)  
**


	17. Chapter 16

**HEEEEEELLLLOOOO! Anybody still out there, waiting angrily for the next update? Yeah... about that... there really is no excuse... But I can apologize. I'm really uber sorry. And it's all my fault. Really, don't blame Bittersweet. **

**BUT ANYWAYS! Enjoy the chapter! After this, some real fun begins! ;)**

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**

"...Pretty lady is scary when she is angry."

An orange masked man spoke from behind a dark haired teenage girl. The orange masked Akatsuki member gigged, suddenly eye smiling. "It's good that Tobi and other pretty lady were peeking just in case, right other pretty lady?" The dark haired teenager scowled, before mumbling under her breath inaudibly,

"It's not like I had a choice.. Stupid Maddy and his superhuman strength.."

Tobi blinked, "Did you say something, other pretty lady?"

Muffin laughed nervously, "Nope, heh heh... Just, um, worried about Melody.."

Tobi tilted his head thoughtfully, "Well, other pretty lady did hit her pretty hard, Tobi thinks so.."

Muffin broke in nervous sweat, feeling a bit more worried about her friend then before. Mel was twitching in her unconscious state. "Gmhm." she mumbled incoherently. Itachi stared at her and then glanced at Muffin, who looked nervous. "

Can you remind me why you did this again?" He asked in his usual monotonic voice.

Muffin laughed sheepishly, "Er, what Itchy-san? Knocking her out or eating sugar… I always eat sugar, Itchy-san!" Itachi sent her an unconvinced stare, making her rub the back of her head nervously. She sighed, "Fine, fine.. I knocked her out so that she wouldn't break anything.. Pain might've got mad if his rubber ducky wall paper was ruined.."

Itachi raised a brow, "Hmm.." Itachi studied the girl and then looked at Muffin's fist. He calculated her strength and the force of the blow to Mel's head and the girl's eyes that were moving frantically behind her lids. "She'll be awake in about fifteen minutes, don't worry." He said, to ease Muffin's nerves.

Muffin sighed inaudibly in relief. She would've tackled instead, but she knew that wouldn't have worked. Muffin grinned goofily, "Thanks, Itchy! Boy, you must be even more nervous then me, eh?"

Itachi frowned,"..What makes you say that?"

Muffin smiled innocently, "Nothing does.. Although, you're not denying it.."

Itachi blinked, "Or agreeing.."

The orange masked Uchiha was surveying all of this. "Tobi thinks Itachi likes pretty ladies." He said suddenly, eye smiling slowly.

Muffin whispered behind her hand, "And Muffin thinks Tobi is creepy when he eye smiles.."

The orange masked Uchiha tilted his head, confusedly, "What do you mean, other pretty lady?"

Muffin rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, sweat dropping slightly, "Er.. I said Tobi is pretty cool when he is.. My buddy 'n..?"

Tobi giggled, "Tobi thinks other pretty lady is lying.."

Pein sighed. "Well, no offense to your little games and socializing, but can you get out? Hm? Maybe go train or something?" He said and turned away, shooing them away with a wave of his hand.

Muffin blinked, "Oh, Pain, I completely forgot you were there!"

Pain scowled, folding his arms across his chest as he grew an anime vein, "Yes.. People have been doing that a lot lately.. Now, leave, I'm busy..."

Muffin frowned, "Busy doing what?"

Pain wrinkled his nose, "Things.."

Muffin tilted her head, "What kind of things?"

Pain gritted his teeth, "Evil kind of things.. Now leave me alone!" Muffin rolled her eyes, before nodding at the raven haired older Uchiha. Itachi quietly bent down to carry the light brown haired teenager, before the trio shuffled out of the door. Pain cackled quietly, before taking out a brand new rubber ducky set. He petted the bath toy possessively, before raising a suggestive brow. "Now,where were we..?"

Melody could feel that she was being carried, she could even distinguish voices, but she didn't pay them any real attention. Her mind was racing and her heart was still hammering against her ribs. _Gaara? No, I won't let them. I can't! But what can I do?!_ Her panic made her frown. "..."

"What does Itachi-san and other pretty lady want to do?" Tobi asked, enjoying another gigantic colorful lollipop... Muffin and Itachi rose suspicious brows, not liking the orange masked man's presence. Muffin wondered if it were possible that the 'boy' was going to get a cavity, at this rate. Muffin blinked, "Er.. What do S classed criminals do in their free time?"

Itachi shrugged, "Our… Hobbies, I suppose. But your friend should be waking up, and I wish to.. Train her a little."

Muffin pouted, "Then what am I suppose to do?" When the dark haired teenager glanced around, she realized that her friend and the raven haired older Uchiha were gone. _Crap, how can Itachi leave me with Madara?_ Muffin thought with a slightly scowl, before turning to the lollipop crazed 'kid'. She laughed awkwardly, "Er... Hi Tobi."

Tobi smiled darkly. "Hello Muffin." He said, real voice there for once. She knew this game; She was supposed to be the sugar crazed 'idiot', but he was _blowing her cover_! Well, not cover, more like annoying her to death.

She folded her arms across her chest, smiling evilly at the orange masked Uchiha. "You know who's my role model, Tobi? Senju Hashirama.." She lied, watching how the orange masked man tensed slightly. She bit back a small smile. Tobi coughed, before letting out a high pitched, childish, forced laughter.

"Oh, Tobi knows who that is! The first Hokage, Tobi thinks so.."

XxXxXxX

Melody blinked her eyes to life to have them pierced by light. "Ouch! Someone turn off the sun!" she muttered, shading her eyes with her hand and she sat up. She'd been laid down on the grass, next to a tree. But the sun seemed to have a clear view of her. Although the sunshine was warm, it was really _really _bright.

"...I don't think that is possible. Although, I could get you under some more shade." Itachi spoke from behind Melody, quirking a small smile. Melody jumped to her feet, suddenly attentive. Then she relaxed when she saw it was only Itchy-san. She smiled.

"Nah... I guess the sun is ok once ya get used to it." She smiled a little more. Itachi nodded and his eye twitched a little nervously.

"...Muffin was worried about you. That was a hard blow to the head. But then again, it was pretty reasonable. You were about to ruin Pain-sama's wallpaper, and Pain wouldn't be a very happy man if that were to happen." Itachi spoke quietly, his face remaining it's normal stoic and impassive expression. "Although... There is something I want to ask of you." Mel's face dropped into an emotionless mask.

"Nani?" She asked slowly, trying to clear her voice of any emotions that might betray her right now. She looked Itachi in the eye, chin jutted forward, trying not to seem nervous. But the fact was that she _was_ nervous. _Oh God, he's gonna ask why I was so mad… No! How am I supposed to answer that hellava question?! Oh, crap._ she was thinking.

"I do things for many reasons. But I want to ask if I could.. Train you." Itachi smiled at the light brown haired teenager, feeling the sun through his red clouded cloak. Melody's face exploded into joy. She nodded frantically and ran up to Itachi. She threw her arms around him and hugged him hard, making him stagger a little.

"Oh, God, Itchy-san! That would be amazing! Our town never really actually had a ninja academy and I've always admired you! Not like creepy stalker like admired you but like you'd-be-a-cool-older-brother kinda admired you! Oh, arigato, Itchy-san!" She said, happiness just practically radiating from her.

XxXxXxXxX

"But really, Muffin, your name is especially… unique." The orange masked Uchiha eye smiled at the dark haired girl. For the last five minutes they have been going back and forth, playing the stupid idiot, even if that wasn't the case.

"Oh, thank you, Maddy ,yours is unique too." Tobi blinked, before chuckling darkly once more. He observed his lollipop, before looking up at the dark haired teenager.

"Did Muffin-sempai just say.. Maddy?"

Muffin smiled evilly, "No, 'Tobi', I said _fatty_. How many times have I told you this? Maybe you should have more… sugar!" Tobi and Muffin's eyes met in an over exaggerated 'intense' glare, before Tobi's childish laugher broke the atmosphere.

"Yes, ' Muffin', Tobi agrees.."

* * *

Itachi quirked a smile, "No problem.. You remind me of how excited my little brother was, before he became emo.." Melody laughed loudly and pulled away slightly from Itachi only to poke him between the eyes like he did with Sasuke only she used only her index finger. Itachi quirked a small smile.

"Maybe it's because Konoha's just fucked up like that." she said sweetly. She frowned lightly. "And don't worry, Itachi... Maybe his fate will change for the better." Mel whispered and let go of Itachi. She sighed. "I really hope he turns around." She muttered. She turned her head, eyes sad. "His future scares me." She admitted.

* * *

"Hm.. Tobi thinks 'Muffin'-sempai knows…" Tobi eye smiled, tilting his head curiously. Muffin folded her arms across her chest, arching her brows together.

"Knows about what, 'Tobi'?"

Tobi giggled, except the laughter turned into deeper chuckles before he spoke, "Knows much more then she should know.."

Muffin blinked innocently, "I have no idea what you are talking about, 'Tobi'." Tobi shook his head, not knowing if he should be slightly amused or annoyed.

"Cut it out, Tobi warns.. Otherwise, bad things might happen, Tobi thinks so.."

Muffin laughed nervously, "Er.. Cut what out, Tobi?"

Tobi giggled, "Exactly.."

Muffin blinked, "Exactly what?"

Tobi sweat dropped."..."

* * *

Mel moved over to a tree and leaned against it, lips pursed as she thought. She knew what she wanted. She wanted to save everybody. But hell if that was gonna happen. Kami, she'd be lucky if she could save Gaara, which she doubted but hoped for. A sigh escaped her. "Itachi... do you ever think about what might happen?" She whispered.

Itachi raised a brow, "What will happen about what? About you? I'm sure you will become stronger. You might even talk some sense into my foolish little brother, if Uzumaki fails." Itachi pursed his own lips, closing his eyes. He smiled quietly, "If you mean about me, then you needn't worry. I'm much more aware of things then you think.." He opened one eye, raising a brow before he continued, "Or do you mean somebody else?"

"I mean a lot of things. But yeah, those are some. And just like you, I know more than I should." She muttered the last part. She nodded to herself and pushed herself off the tree, smirking and putting her hands on her hips. "So what's first?" She asked.

Itachi rolled his eyes, but smirked at the light brown haired teenager. He gave her an amused expression, "Patience, my foolish - somewhat wise - little pupil…" Melody pouted at the that, but Itachi ignored it. His hands started doing a bunch of hand seals, as he smiled quietly,"...That is the first and most important thing I'm ever going to teach you."

XxXxXxXxX

Muffin was currently tied up to a wooden chair, her distaste evident with the obvious scowl she wore. "Tobi is definitely a good boy indeed, handing over one of the sources of our misery..." A dry voice that sounded slightly like Kakazu's spoke. Muffin realized that she was surrounded by most of the Akatsuki, who glared down at her.

Deidara smirked evilly, "This is payback to your stupid tea parties, un!"

Hidan snorted, "And her fucking sugar damning lessons.."

Kakazu chuckled, "And for burning my money.."

Muffin laughed nervously, "Come on, guys.. You can't hold a grudge on me for that, would you?"

"Yes!" They chorused in union.

Muffin fell anime style. "..."

Kisame chuckled, "Don't look so down, girly, we aren't going to do… Anything _too _evil. Tobi, bring out the tapes."

Muffin's eyes widened, "Not the tapes!"

Tobi eye smiled, before skipping down to the television set and enter a tape through the VCR. A familiar theme song played in their ears, as the Akatsuki wore identical evil smirks. "I love you, you love me.." They sang in with the big huge purple green spotted dinosaur.

Muffin twitched, "Ah, not Barney!"

* * *

Pain's ears perked up, before looking up from his rubber bath toy. He'd been interrupted from his 'session' by some scream or something or another. Followed by some weird too-happy music. Or at least, that's what he thought he was hearing. But it could just be his imagination. He was known for his vivid imagination… Pain tapped his chin thoughtfully, before turning to Konan. "Do you.. hear something?"

Konan shook her head mutely. "..."

Pain shrugged, deciding it was his imagination. "Oh well, probably nothing… Now, rubber ducky-kun, where were we?"

* * *

Outside, Melody, after several minutes of trying and mostly failing, copied the hand signs. She smirked. "Fuck yeah! I can do hand signs... Somewhat." She shrugged and smiled. Then frowned. "Eh, Itchy-sensei, what are the hand signs for?"

"They aren't for anything in particular.. Just I'm a bit aware you don't seem to know much... about ninjutsu. So, first things first.. Hand seals, and… uh… Melody, you are doing the tiger hand sign wrong." Itachi folded his pinky and ring fingers together, while his middle and index pointed towards the sky. His thumbs clasped around the hand, before he nodded over at the hand sign. "_This_, is how you do it.. If one hand seal is done incorrectly, it won't work at all. And you might accidentally do a jutsu your body wouldn't handle. Like a fire type accidentally doing an earth element type jutsu."

"Ouch, that'd hurt. Although I really doubt I'd have much of a problem, seeing as I'm good with all elements. Thanks for the correction, sensei." She nodded and made the correct sign. Melody smiled and then thought. Finally she shrugged. "I know about ninjutsu, I've just never done it. I've seen it though... Many times. Nii-san's shown me plenty." She chuckled.

Itachi raised an interested brow,"...Nii-san? You have a brother?"

Melody shrugged, frowned and shook her head. "Not really. I just call him that... Because everyone always says we look so alike and even act alike sometimes. But he doesn't exactly know me right now..." She admitted. Itachi nodded and continued on showing Melody hand signs.

An hour later, Mel sighed. "There, I learned all those hand signs. Now, what is next?" she asked, a bit tired. But she wasn't going to let that stop her. She was enjoying learning from Itachi. She liked it better than when she thought Kakashi would have been a cool sensei. Damn, Itachi left Kakashi in the dust! Hm, maybe being an S-Class criminal had it's advantages.

"Hm, I think you may be ready to start exercising your gift." Itachi said, eyeing her slightly faster breathing. Mel blinked and tilted her head. Her gift? Did he mean the elements reacting to her emotions? No! She couldn't do that! Not until she had Pein's meds! Mel didn't want to hurt anybody! Itachi gave her a look suddenly.

"You don't need anything Pein gives you. Your too young for prescriptions." he snapped. Mel winced at the sharp edge in his tone. Itachi reined in his annoyance.

"Pein said nobody knew…" she whispered brokenly, hurt. Itachi rose a brow as he rolled his eyes.

"Your expression gave it away. Panic and delay. You really need to control your emotions."

"But that's what the meds wi-" she started.

"No! You have to learn self control on your on! Not through a pill." Itachi interrupted sharply. Mel sighed, eyes lowered in defeat. She didn't like his disapproval, but she was still going to take those damn pills. He didn't know what was best for her! Mel knew what was best for Melody Char. His disapproval was merely unsatisfying. She'd hoped he'd understand, which he apparently didn't.

"Ok, I get it. Let's just get on with the exercises." Melody muttered, scuffing the ground with the toe of her boot. The white buckle clicked against the black leather, eerie against the silence that had followed. Finally, Itachi sighed.

"Fine. First, show me the most simplest flame you can manage on you palm." he ordered. Mel nodded and closed her eyes in concentration. She thought hard about the heat that would lap against the surface of her palm, warming her skin with soft tingles. The flame would be about an inch high, golden around the edges and that light blue in the middle with that angry reddish orange in between. Melody thought hard about that flame being _alive_ in the center of her palm, flickering at the wind, trying to reach to the sky. It made her smile. "Well done." came Itachi's emotionless tone.

Melody's eyes blinked open quickly. Her gaze swiveled downwards and widened in surprise. There, in the middle of her dirty palm, was a singly warm flame. Her imagination had seemed so lifelike because it was _real_. The moment she'd thought of the flame, it'd appeared on her palm. Mel blinked in awe. "Whoa…" she breathed.

Itachi nodded. "Now, progressively let it grow in size. Tell me when you feel your chakra level drop." he said. Mel sweat dropped but went with it. Hm… how would she tell? Would she feel tired? Winded? Sweaty? Damn, Melody didn't know! _Oh well, I'll just guess._ she thought to herself.

Steadily, she let the flame grow. When it had tripled in size, Mel felt her pulse race as a feeling of fatigue raced through her. She stopped. "It's dropping." Itachi nodded, her expression stoic.

"Hn, interesting…" he muttered and started to pace. Melody twitched. What did that mean? Had she done something wrong? Itachi continued to pace, eyes closed in thought. Mel blinked, wondering what he was thinking. She hadn't meant to do anything wrong… and if she didn't, why was he thinking so hard? Was it because she should have told him earlier about the chakra exhuast. Fuck, she wasn't good at this. She didn't have the right training… Maybe she should break his promise about not telling anybody about her world and explain- "Melody, snap out of it." snapped Itachi.

Melody jumped, realizing that Itachi was standing right in front of her now. She'd tuned off the real world and zoned out into hers. Woops. She slowly spread a small smile over her face. "Eh, sorry?" she asked, shrugging her shoulders upwards. Itachi's eyes narrowed and he sighed.

"Your impossible…" he muttered and Mel grinned wider. "And annoying… and yet…" he switched his gaze to look at her. "You and your friend Muffin are the most powerful inexperienced ninja I've ever met. Why didn't you stay in your village? They should have known not to let their probably most powerful ninja out of their sight!" he clucked his tongue in disgust. Mel itched away, suddenly nervous. He wanted to know why her and Muffin left their 'village'? Damn, how was she supposed to answer that?

Itachi sighed finally. "Well, it doesn't matter. You're here now, and I'm going to train you to _be_ experienced." he said firmly. Melody beamed.

"Thanks, Itchy-sensei!" she said, doing a good-guy or in this case good-gal pose. Itachi rose a brow.

"Don't call me that."

"Okay, Itchy-sensei."

"I mean it."

"Whatever you say, Itchy-sensei!"

"Stop."

"Iie, Itchy-sensei!" Melody shook her head stubbornly, causing the older man to sigh. He shook his head, making his black ponytail fly.

"Ugh, never mind. Ok, let's test out your connection with air. Blow me to the ground." he said, taking a ready stance. Melody blinked.

"Wait- _nani_? You want me to what?" she asked, eyes speaking her incredibly. Itachi narrowed his eyes, making Mel sigh. "Fine, fine. I'll try, but I don't think I could do that…." she sighed and tried to will the air to blow Itachi to the ground. A small breeze picked up but nothing else… Her and Itachi sweat dropped.

* * *

Muffin twitched in her seat, eyes wide and unblinking. Her mouth hung slack open, drool trailing from one corner. Diedara stared at the poor traumatized teenager. "Un… Maybe Barney was too much, yeah?" he asked his blue skinned friend. Kisame sweat dropped.

"You know, I'm starting to think your right… the tapes ended ten minutes ago and she hasn't even blinked since." he muttered, starting to feel a little guilt flicker in his heart. He hadn't meant to scare the girl half to death… just creep her out.

Inside her own mind, Muffin snickered. They were totally buying this. She was fine, although mentally scarred… But sugar could heal the scar on the front of her mind. She'd make some as soon as the Akatsuki members were distracted by their guilt… The corner of her mouth turned upward by the smallest millimeter in eager anticipation for her sugar. Nobody noticed the small upturn on that corner of her mouth.

Kakazu had pulled out a small flashlight from his cloak, and was pointing it straight into one of Muffin's eyes. "Hm, her eyes dilate in the light…" he switched the light into her other eye. "but you two are right, she's not blinking." he said, using a formal tone. Diedara rolled his eyes.

"Great job, doc." Diedara said, sarcasm dripping from his words. Kakazu didn't notice and smiled proudly. "But we _already deduced that, _yeah!" Diedara snapped, irritated. Kakazu's smile faded and flipped upside down. Hurt and anger swam in his yellow eyes.

"Fine, you take care of the sugar obsessed teen… I'm going with Hidan to observe the sunset." he muttered, following the foul mouthed man to the door.

Suddenly, Muffin jumped up, sugar bag in hand, eyes wide and her smile huge. "Do you need any sugar?" she asked in a chipper tone. The Akatsuki's jaws all dropped to the ground.

* * *

"Concentrate Melody! You'll never get me down if you don't focus!" Itachi snapped. Mel growled lightly under her breath, closing her eyes tightly in forced concentration. But the wind she willed up only whipped his hair back. Itachi didn't even stumble. Which only made her irritation mount. Itachi sighed. "Melody, you need to try harder. _Focus_, be the wind. See yourself as the wind, pushing me with all your force. The wind doesn't bow to anybody! Now, _**again**_!" The last word clipped from his tongue.

Mel opened her eyes to glare at her sensei. "I'm _trying_, dammit!"

Itachi returned the glare. "Try harder." he snarled lowly, frustrated by her temper. Melody growled again in her own frustration and tried willing the wind to push Itachi to the ground. She did as he'd explained, thinking herself as the wind and making Itachi fall on his damned ass, maybe breaking his stupid tailbone. This wind was a little stronger, but with her decreasing chakra it only made him blink from the force of her blow.

Mel sighed and let herself drop to the ground, exhausted. "Please, a break… I'm tired…" she gasped, feeling a cold sweat start on her brow. Itachi shook his head.

"Your enemies will not let you rest during a battle. Find a way to retain your chakra." he explained. Melody's shoulder's sagged in utter hopelessness. He wasn't giving her a break and she was ready to just pass out. She could sleep for hours right now! Happily… although her stomach ached now from hunger. Did loosing chakra make you hungry? Maybe that was why Naruto ate so much ramen… "Stay focused, Melody!" Itachi shouted.

"Fuck you!" Mel shouted back, anger at him for not giving her a break and acting so detached making her stand in defiance. She pushed her hands out as if to push him, although she was several feet away from him. A strong wind blew out of nowhere, making a few thin limbed trees bend and causing Itachi to stumble and step backwards. Mel narrowed her eyes, pushing one hand up. A tree root uprooted itself and caused Itachi to trip.

_Thump!_ Itachi blinked, finding himself on the damp earth. Mel's eyes glared at him, chest heaving. Her arms had dropped to her sides, hands tightly curled into fists. Finally, Itachi allowed a small smile creep onto his face. "Well done." he praised. Melody blinked herself. She'd done it… She'd made him fall on his ass. Even if she'd used earth to help the wind with the task, she'd done it! A wave of happiness coursed through her veins, momentarily pushing aside the fatigue.

"Oh fuck yeah!" she cheered, fist pumping the sky. Itachi nodded and stood up. He dusted off his cloak, his stoic expression back in place.

"Since you've expressed your control of air and earth together, we only need to work on your water. So far, you've convinced me that strong emotions trigger more powerful manipulations while smaller emotions with concentration can do the simplest of manipulations." he said. Melody blinked.

"Eh? Sorry… big words…" she said, scratching the top of her head in a confused manner. Itachi sweat dropped before sighing.

"Never mind, Melody." he muttered and walked closer to her. He sat down next to her, motioning for her to sit down again. Mel complied with eagerness, taken again by her fatigue. She was overworking herself and he should know that. Melody frowned slightly. _Why is he pushing me so hard? He knows I'm about ready to just faint… _she wondered. Itachi looked at her. His expression was one of nonchalant. "Take the water from that tree." he said simply. Mel's jaw dropped.

"Say _what_?" she asked, surprised out of her mind. He wanted her to _take the water _from a fucking _**tree**_? Melody gave her sensei an incredulous look. But Itachi only looked back calmly.

"Go on. After you succeed, we can go back to the base." he said. Mel looked up at the now starry sky. The sun was dipping below the tree line, allowing the moon to gradually shine brighter. Her stomach panged with the cries of hunger. Her eyes were beginning to bag… Shit. Melody sighed.

"Fine, fine…" she said, her tone drained. She looked at the nearest tree and wished the water would seep out of the bark's pores, floating to her. She really just wanted to go back to the base and rest… and eat… Ugh, and she still had Gaara to worry about… Pain stabbed at Melody's heart, making her breath momentarily hitch in her throat. She really didn't want him dead… but how the hell was she going to save him?

And suddenly two things happened simultaneously. Melody and Itachi were soaked head to toe in sap smelling water…. And Melody knew that the only way at having a _chance_ at saving Gaara No Sabaku was to go to him. Her only chance at saving his life was to _be t_here when it happened! Itachi's voice broke her out of her mental sudden discovery.

"Um… I didn't expect that so soon…" he mumbled to himself, making Melody smirk in pride. "…Good job. Let's go back." he said with a nod of his head and pulled the girl to her feet. Mel yawned and leaned against the twenty year old. Itachi sighed and picked the dead beat girl up. He carried her back to the base and when there, set her down on her bed. She was snoring lightly within seconds.

Muffin was already asleep, smiling as she cuddled with a half empty bag of sugar. Itachi smiled softly at the two girls and then silently closed the door.

* * *

In the deep dark hours of night, Melody Char sighed, pulling the plain black cloak hood over her head. She left the note she'd written on her bed, hoping Muffin would find it in the morning. Then - with one last regretful glance - she walked out of the room and out of the base. She was off to save the somebody close to her heart.

* * *

**Yup. Melody ran off to Sunagakure. Leaving Muffin... all alone... with sadistic badguys...**

...

...  
**... I feel bad for the Akatsuki. ^_^ Well, not really, because this is going to be so much fun... Teehee! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the blog. We'll be uploading an interview soon. ;)**

**REVIEW PLEASE!  
**


	18. Chapter 17

**Bittersweet: *Plays a trumpet,despite not being able to in real life.* Here's.. *Cue random drum roll.* Chapter seventeen!**

**Sasuke: *Rolls his eyes.* ..Isn't it actually eighteen,hn?**

**Itachi: Of course not,my foolish little brother. *Frowns.* Otouto,I thought I taught you better then that.. (Note: Otouto means little brother.)**

**Sasuke: *Scowls.* Hn,shut up,Itachi! Besides,you shouldn't speak something that the readers won't be able to comprehend,hn! **

**Itachi: *Quirks a smile.* But you do it all the time,my foolish little brother. And with your emo poetry,too. Quite bad emo poetry,might I say,but emo poetry all the same.**

**Sasuke: *Twitches.* Hn,why you little..**

**Bittersweet: *Laughs nervously,before restraining the emo avenger before he does anything stupid.. Well,more stupid.* Well,please,enjoy chapter seventeen! Uh.. Eighteen. Er,seventeen? *Sweat drops.* But,besides that.. I hope you guys like it! Please review at the end,me and Tears would really appreciate it! Thanks! *Grins and waves,holding down a tied up,sulking Uchiha.***

* * *

Uchiha, Sasuke was not a happy man.

The raven haired Uchiha paced back and forth,his frown deepening within the minute. Sasuke was not happy about alot of things,and standing outside,under the hot rays of the sun,did not help the situation one bit. Behind the emo avenger was a tall,orange haired man,a red haired,a small,turtle neck wearing teenaged girl,and a lean figured,white haired swordsman. Under the soles of the sulking Uchiha's feet was a small moat,(minus the water),with his shoes hard pressed into the soil. The white haired swordsman scratched his cheek,his left eyebrow raised.

"Ne,Sasuke has been going at it for two hours straight.. I'm a bit,dare I say it,worried!" The turtle neck wearing red head jerked her head to the swordsman,her fist clenching in frustration.

"Shut up,you idiot! Sasuke-kun is trying to think! And you're not helping,Suigetsu!"

Juugo blinked,giving his two team mates a thoughtful glance,before speaking aloud. "..What is that small electronic device in his hand?"

Suigetsu and Karin inclined their heads to the raven haired Uchiha, just noticing the object their tall, orange haired team mate described. Suigetsu sweat dropped. "I can't believe we didn't notice that earlier... Ne,what is that,exactly? Hey,Karin,why don't you make yourself useful for once and try to figure out why this is taking so long?" Karin twitched,her fingers itching closer to the white haired swordsman's neck.

"Why,you little.."

"Would you people just shut up for one minute,hn?!" Exclaimed a unusually angry,emo avenger. The team mates of Hebi whirled their heads to the raven haired Uchiha,who's forehead throbbed with an anime vein,not used to him raising his voice.

"What is wrong,Sasuke-kun?" Karin asked,bolting up from her previous position. Sasuke shook his head,his mouth thinning into a small scowl.

"Hn,either my reception is bad,or she.. I mean,our target.. Got out of bounds."

Juugo raised a brow,confused. "Where was the target located last?"

"Outside,three days ago,in partially cloudy skies,during the early afternoon,the temperature around sixty five degrees farenheit,near a gray building which is located northwest of a local town." Sasuke replied robotically,making the three ninjas stare at him incredulously. "If she had left the town through the southeast exit,then she would be heading towards wind country,which is only fifty kilometers away.." Sasuke's grip on the electronic tightened,as he continued speaking his unusually none ansgty thoughts aloud. "But nobody goes to wind country.. Unless.." The raven haired avenger ignored the strange stares coming from his teammates,and instead discarded the small device by throwing it over his shoulder,his dark scowl replaced with a smirk.

"..Hn,we're heading to Suna."

* * *

"Zzz..Zzz.. Zzz.."

Suddenly,a loud theme song was heard from the other room.." Rubber ducky you're the one,you make bathtime lots of fun,rubber ducky, I'm awfully fond of you! Vo-vo-dee-o!Rubber ducky, joy of joys,when I squeeze you, you make noise!~ Oh, every day when I, make my way to the tubby,I find a little fellow who's cute and yellow and chubby! Rub-a-dub-dubby!~ " **(Bittersweet's A/N: 'Rubber Duckie Song' by Sesame Street. Tears: O.o How does she know that?! o.O)**

Muffin,startled,bolted up from her covers. The dark haired teenager blinked,realizing that it was indeed the nose pierced Akatsuki leader that was singing loudly,and albeit badly,but not a pair of unicorns that were trying to steal her kidneys. She sighed in relief,"..." Muffin yawned,before sitting up from her sleeping position. She squinted her eyes,the edges filled with sand crust and a few disoriented eyelashes from sleeping awkwardly. She mumbled a few unintelligible words under her breath,before groaning loudly like a zombie. (Muffin is always half dead in the mornings,well,until she gets her daily intake of sugar,that is.)

Suddenly,as if on cue,a bag of sugar and a small glass cup appeared out of nowhere. Courtesy of Muffin,of course. Muffin slowly poured the sugar bag,letting the white,chalky substance pile into the cup. She inwardly hoped that 'Tobi' didn't have anything else up his sleeve,because she was not up to dealing with another Barney session. The teen shuddered,the theme song of the television series replaying vividly in her mind. She was completely mentally scarred. "Sneaky little prick,if he ever does that again.."Muffin mumbled under her breath. Her eye's focus reverted from her cup of sugar to the empty twin bed,located on the other side of the room. (She didn't notice that the cup was already over flowing.)

"Huh?" Muffin frowned,before pulling off her sheets,and putting down her glass on the near by the end table. Muffin raised a brow,before slowly approaching her light brown haired friend's bed,with dark dramatic music playing in the background. Muffin froze,her face dawning with dread as she realized what happened. Pain's strange behavior yesterday.. Konan being the kitchen for long periods of time.. Mel's empty bed.. Muffin's left eye twitched as she figured out what just happened..

_'The unicorns must've pretended to be in alliance with the Akatsuki,stole all their muffins,and ran to the moles for help! So,Pain orders Itachi,also know as Weasel-chan,to help,'cause moles and weasels are like cousins,duh! But 'cause Mel didn't want weasel-chan to go alone,she went in disguise as a.. Uh.. A.. Er.. A.. Dolphin!'_ Muffin nodded vigorously,agreeing with her totally 'rational' logic that leaded to this conclusion. Suddenly,the door clicked open,revealing a certain Akatsuki member. Muffin's eyes widened,before she started flapping her arms wildly in surprise.

"OMG,Itachi! B-But.. How? ..Wha? You're supposed to be in mole territory,fighting off the unicorns in disguise in your true form,fighting with Mel-chan,who's true form is a dolphin! You can't leave her,Itachi! You have to believe in the power of the unicorn,even if they have turned against you! Believe!~"

Itachi gave the dark haired teenager a weird ass look, before checking the teen's temperature by placing his palm on her forehead. "..First off,what are you smoking? Or should I say.. Snorting? And do you have a fever? Wait,my 'true form'?"

"A weasel,of course."Muffin said simply,nodding solemnly,acting as if she weren't completely insane.

Itachi raised a brow,before quirking a smile. "..Are you sure all that sugar hasn't gotten to your head?"

Muffin scowled,before sticking her tongue out at the twenty year old Uchiha. "No! And I don't have a fever! And no,I'm not high! Or mentally ill.."Muffin added the last part with an annoyed scowl,before the raven haired Uchiha could mention it aloud.

"But.."Itachi started,until Muffin held out a small index finger to quiet him for a moment,making him raise a brow. Muffin,zombie like,shuffled to the other side of the room,and picked up her glass of sugar again. She brought it to her mouth,before sucking the sugar from the glass. She inhaled it within thirty seconds, making Itachi shudder. "Hm.. How can she eat so much sugar?"Itachi mumured to himself,not being able to decide if he were either amazed or creeped out.

Muffin turned to the dark haired Uchiha,giving him a goofy smile,her entire jaw and mouth sugarcoated with the small crystals of sugar. "You want some,Itachi?"

"No."He said flatly.

"Oh,okay! Psh,you're only missin' out! So,anyways.. Wait! If you're not fighting the moles and unicorns,that means they haven't betrayed us yet.. Which means Mel should be here still. So,then,where is sh..? Oh,look,a penny! Moshi moshi,Itachi! **(Bittersweet's A/N: Informal 'hello' in Japanese.)** Hey,Itachi,your hair is all nice and shiney,what shampoo do you use? Ooh,Itachi,sugar is good! Itachi? Hello,Itachi? Weasel!~" Muffin was metaphorically jumping off the walls,making the raven haired twenty year old raise a brow. He silently wondered if sugar caused her to have slow attention span..

Wait,what was she going to ask? She was talking about Melody a moment before,who was presently absent from the room. Where else could she be? She wasn't anywhere around the base. Itachi gripped Muffin lightly,but firmly, by the shoulders,and narrowed his eyes on her. "..Muffin. You were going to ask me a question."

The dark haired teenager tapped her chin thoughtfully,before snapping her fingers. "Oh yeah,now I remember!"

Itachi raised a brow,"..Then what is it?" Muffin pulled the raven haired Uchiha by the arm,attempting on dragging the Uchiha to her source of sugar.

"I wanted to ask you,Weasel-chan,if you wanted sugar,silly! I already asked this question,duh! I think.."

Itachi sighed,before slowly prying her fingers from his cloak. "No,Muffin,you were going to ask me about Melody,remember?"

The dark haired teenager nodded slowly,before blinking in surprise. "Oh yeah! I wanted to ask you if you've seen her,'cause she wasn't here when she woke up." Itachi frowned. He thought Melody was just sleeping in. He _did _train her to the point of exhaustion,after all,it wouldn't be surprising if she didn't. Itachi,instead of answering her question,and because he had 'super cool ninja powers',narrowed his eyes on a certain piece of writing.

"..What is that on her bed?" Itachi and Muffin approached her bed,before coming across a small,blue,rubber ducky envelope on her white,satin,cottoned sheets. Itachi quirked a smile,thinking that it was only typical. He picked up the envelope,before handing the dark haired teenager the letter with a small frown. "..It's for you." Muffin blinked,confused. She took the letter,before she slowly ripped the envelope open,revealing a piece of paper. She skimmed through it,her brows arched and her smile fading.

_Muffin,_

_I can't stand this. I can't just stand by and watch him… be murdered. I have to… go to him. Maybe… by some chance, our coming here was on purpose. That we have our own destinies here or something. I don't know. But maybe there is a chance… that I can save him. He doesn't deserve to be tortured by the extraction and he definitely does not deserve to die. Even if Chiyo does save his life… She doesn't deserve to die either. If there is absolutely nothing I can do, well, at least I know he'll be saved… and maybe I can thank Chiyo in advanced. I really have no clue what I'm doing. Maybe I'm actually loosing it._

_May the sugar be with you,_

_Melody_

"Melody,she's.."Muffin started,but didn't finish her sentence.

Itachi blinked. "She's gone?" The dark haired teen turned to the twenty year old with a frown,before handing him the small piece of paper. The Uchiha raised a brow as he skimmed through it,absorbing the words from the page. "Have more faith in Melody,Muffin." Itachi said,his frown deepening. "She knows how to take care of herself,so no need to worry too much."Itachi gripped the small parchment,and after a few moments,it went aflame.

Muffin's lips thinned,her frown deepening. "Hey,Itachi?" The dark haired Uchiha inclined his head to the teenager,wondering what she wanted to say,thinking it was going to be something grim or emotional. Instead,her expression was replaced with a smile that was not as genuine,and while she bounced up and down again,it was not as ethusiastic as before.

"So,your true form isn't a weasel?"

* * *

"..Tell me,how did this happen again?"

The nose pierced leader of the Akatsuki scowled,narrowing his eyes on the cloud cloaked members. All nine Akatsuki members stood in the dark room,surrounding their orange haired Akatsuki member. The red haired puppet master's lips thinned,his frown deepening."You're right, leader-sama. It is strange for the girl to have disappeared so suddenly.. And without a trace,too." Everybody's eyes narrowed on a certain Jashinist, making the silver haired Akatsuki member laugh nervously,holding up his hands up in defense.

"Hey, I fuckin' didn't fucking sacrifice that damn bitch, so don't fucking look at me, dammit!"

Pain rubbed his temples,annoyed,before sighing at what he thought was a sorry excuse of evil beings.

The blonde haired Akatsuki member cleared his throat,before speaking in his deep voice,"This does slow down our objective a bit,but we shouldn't let it be post poned,un!" He only said that because he wanted to blow something up,but they didn't need to know that. Deidara broke in nervous sweat,hoping that they would buy it. 

**"Deidara is right.. This will throw our entire schedule off course,especially if we let something this meager interrupts our goals." **A certain Akatsuki member that had the appearance of a black and white venus fly trap appeared from the shadows,causing the orange haired,nose pierced leader to raise a brow.

"How long were you hiding in that small little hole over there,peeping on us?"

_"A while.."_ Said the white side of the venus flytrap,making Pain sweat drop.

"This is really bad for my evil person reputation.. You know,uh,not noticing the shady looking people that hide in the shadows,and stuff! Not because I thought you were,um,peeping on me and my ducky's personal moments a few hours prior,or anything.." Pain turned away from the members of the Akatsuki,before stroking his imaginary beard thoughtfully. "I wonder when this meeting will end,because I still have some.. Business to take care of.."Pain mumbled under his breath,hal thinking about his rubber bath toy,and half cackling evilly,trying to regain his lost ego. So,basically,none of the Akatsuki members caught the last few sentences. Well,they did,but they couldn't understand them. (Fortunately, Kami decided to let them keep their sanity for another day.)

Kakuzu frowned. "Then what are we going to do about the brat?"

Pain smirked. "I already have that taken care of." Pain had noticed the absence of the capsule of pills earlier this morning. He knew he had gotten through to her. If she took the pills like she was supposed to,then everything would go according to plan. Pain smiled evilly,feeling his evil ego go up a few brownie points. Pain suddenly coughed awkwardly,before deciding to end the meeting abruptly before another long,boring discussion came up. "Zetsu,you're right. We shall retract the tailed beast,so let me choose who's the most qualified for this job.."

Kisame laughed nervously,"Um,it's okay leader-sama,me and Itachi could do it! Heh.."

Pain scowled,"What is it? You do not like my choosing method? Is that it?"

Kisame blinked. "Um,no,I never said that leader-sama.."

"Then shut up!"Pain snapped. "Let me see how it goes.. Oh yes! Ine,me ne,mi nee,mo.. Catch a tiger by its toe..Ma,ma,said,never,let,it,go.-"

"Is he fucking playing what the fuck I fucking think he's playing?!"

"-Catch a tiger by its.. Um,where was I? Oh yes.. Toe! Aha! Deidara,Sasori,you're going to be the yaoi pair-"

"We're not a yaoi pairing,dammit,yeah!"

"Uh! Of all the potential puppets in the room!"

"-that'll retract the one tailed Sabaku from a resident in Sunagakure. Find him,blah,blah,blah.. You know what to do. Oh yeah,and take that Muffin brat with you. She's too annoying to put up with 24/7. Dismissed!" Pain shoved the seven other members out of his meeting room,and slammed the door in their faces. Suddenly,creepy 60's love music played in the backround. Pain took out a certain rubber bath toy,smirking evilly,not noticing the over exaggerated,dead panned expression coming from the inanimate bath toy. "Hello,rubber ducky.. _Meet Pain!"_

* * *

Mel slowed down, finally at Suna's gates. She stood there and stared at it, breath taken. It was even more beautiful than in the manga or anime. It was… magnificent. Smiling now, she started walking towards the entrance, hands clasped behind her back. But once she stepped into the shade of the gates, two Jounin flashed out and stopped her from continuing.

"Stop where you are and put your hands where we can see them!" he shouted. Sighing, Melody did as told, although noting that even if she'd come to do harm she wouldn't even need her hands to attack. She could just will them to catch fire or a wind to blow them away and it would happen. But since she wasn't here to attack them, she didn't do that. She smiled lightly at the guards.

"Is there a problem?" she asked politely. The guards glared and one came over to pat her down. She sighed and let the guard do so. Finishing, he stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest. The second guard nodded and narrowed his eyes.

"No." the first guard snapped. Mel nodded but then grinned.

"Your looking for someone." she guessed, although she already knew. They were looking for spies or even the Akatsuki members. The second guard took a sep forward.

"How did you know!?" he growled. Melody blinked and tilted her head.

"What do you mean? I only guessed. But your outburst kinda proved you were looking for someone. So, in reality, you told me yourself." she told them all, grinning darkly. The first guard grew an anime vein and took out a kunai. He flashed behind her and put the kunai to her neck.

"She's a tricky spy, don't you think Yao?" he snarled. The second guard, Yao, nodded curtly. He was glaring at her, seemingly convinced she was a spy and trying to trick information out of them. Melody sighed. If only they knew the real situation. She was trying to protect them from the upcoming intruders and that the spy was no one other than a board member. The second guard turned slightly, facing the village.

"Let's take her to the Kazekage. He will decide what to do with this spy." he said, pointing to the tall building. A small smile threatened to touch Mel's lips, but she pushed it down. She was going to Gaara? Perfect. It was her job to protect him. I guess this all works out in the end. She thought and chuckled lightly. The first guard pushed her forward.

"Start walking, spy!" he snapped. Mel made a bored you-can't-be-serious face and sighed. She started walking, although it was hard with a kunai still pressed to her neck. But then, she should be used to weapons being pressed to her throat by now, iie? Thanks to Sasuke, at least. Mel and the guards finally reached the village.

A lot of people stopped to stare and she sent them a warm smile. She saw Temari walking amongst them, talking to a villager and that sent a wave of excitement through her. She was going to meet Temari, her favorite kick-ass female ninja! Well… as soon as she explained to Gaara who she was and that she was, in fact, not a spy. She just had to make him believe that she was here for good cause, not evil.

At last, they reached the Kazekage tower, which admittedly, was the biggest tower in the village. Melody smiled and felt herself calm down considerably. Which was a lot, she realized. Deep down she was very worried, excited, fearful of rejection and then there were some other emotions mixed in. But now that she was here, everything toned down and she relaxed. A tingle started in the center of her heart as she stepped inside.

"Oh, Yao! Ken! What are you-…Who's she?" asked a lady behind a desk. Ah, so the guy holding a kunai to her neck was named Ken. What a weird name… it reminded her of male Barbies. She chuckled at that thought. Ken pushed the kunai closer to her neck, although it loosened when Yao gave him a look. Yao shrugged.

"A suspected spy. We are going to see the Kazekage so he can determine her fate." he told her. "Sorry to disturb you, Tori." he apologized and gave her a smile. She smiled back and waved them forward.

"Good luck! He's in a bad mood today." she laughed. Ken rolled his eyes.

"That monster's always in a bad mood." he muttered, too low for Yao to hear. But Melody heard and she stopped cold. Her eyes narrowed and she turned to glare at him. Anger flared to life inside her heart.

"What did you say?" Melody snarled lethally. A tiny tremble went through the ground, although nobody but Melody noticed. Ken stumbled for a second, trying to move his arm so that he could have the kunai at the front of Mel's throat. But her hand shot out to hold him back. She squeezed his wrist, probably leaving a bruise. "What! Did. You. Say?!" Melody growled. Yao was surprised at the girl's sudden outburst.

It's like she's a completely different person. He thought. Before she'd been cooperative, polite and even sweet. She'd smiled at villagers, had looked so mesmerized when she'd seen the village gates. But now she looked cold, angry and was using force against an officer. Whatever Ken said pushed her buttons. he summarized. "Ken, what did you say?" he asked tightly, afraid of the now scary teenager.

Ken was shaking now, visually afraid. The girl's dark blue eyes stared unblinking into his, inside them a cold fire that threatened to burn him from the inside out. Besides that, this complete metamorphosis had been called to action by his calling the Kazekage -Gaara No Sabaku- a monster. How did she even know the situation? She didn't know Gaara.

And if she did, then didn't that prove she was a spy and did know the situation? But then, a spy wouldn't care what the Kazekage was called. Would they? Ken heard Yao ask what he'd said. But Ken knew that Yao was a Gaara Supporter, thinking the devil boy had truly changed. Ken was not amongst those people. If he called the Kazekage a monster in front of Yao, that would cause him as much trouble as calling the Kazekage that to his face.

"I-I-I said that that Tori had gained some weight!" he quickly sputtered out the lie. Mel's eyes narrowed even more and her lip curled upward in a feral snarl.

"LIAR!" she screamed - fury increasing - and slid her left foot in an arc movement, hitting both his ankles and causing Ken to fall. He dropped the kunai and Mel quickly grabbed at it. She flipped it in her hand and crouched down so she could hold it at his neck. "Tell the truth!" she snarled.

But then suddenly sand wrapped around her, pulling her back. Mel kept quiet, knowing this was only Gaara. She dropped the kunai and crossed her arms over her sand covered chest. "Bastard." she spat at Ken, putting him on her mental hate list. He was number two, right under Sasuke Uchiha. Madara had been bumped to number three and Orochimaru to number four.

"Get up." Gaara told Ken. Mel's eyes furiously followed Ken, wishing so much that he'd die of a heart attack right now. Instead, she accidentally made the end of his scarf catch fire. She winced and quickly put it out. He didn't even notice. Neither did Yao and hopefully not Gaara. But Gaara was too observant, Mel was sure he'd glimpsed it. She kept her mouth shut none the less. "Who is this?" Gaara asked, voice now directed at Yao.

Mel finally looked away from Ken towards Yao. Her expression changed completely. Her anger was mostly gone now and she had a tint of regret in her dark blue eyes. Yao shrugged, noting that regret. He was a key witness to this, and there was no doubt that if the Kazekage deemed her not a spy that Ken would press charges. "A suspected spy." he told his Kazekage.

Mel finally found the courage to over her shoulder at Gaara. She was hesitant, knowing she hadn't made a great first impression. He was looking at her, raising a nonexistent brow. "You know, resisting an officer doesn't really appeal well in your situation." he told her. She quirked a smile at the humor laced deep into that sentence. Melody nodded.

"Of coarse not. I'm completely aware of that." she said. Gaara's eyes stared at her, slightly confused. Yao looked at her, mouth opened slightly.

"Then why did-" Yao started.

"He called Gaara a monster." Melody snarled, eyes narrowing angrily. She turned her gaze towards Gaara. "I couldn't let that be said about you and do nothing. I admit, I probably went too far with the matter, although deep down I still want to beat him into next week." she told him and sighed. She looked away and stared down at her hands. They fallen into her sand-covered lap. She traced designs into it with a finger, trying to hold back her strong emotions. Strong emotions meant bad things with her. Because then her 'affinity with the elements' -as Pein liked to put it- got out of control.

Her thoughts turned to the pills in her bag. A way to control her emotions, a way to control her manipulation powers. If not, then she'd hurt people. Melody hated hurting people. She couldn't even hurt her father… and that meant a lot because he hurt her a lot. Mel shook her head, drawing away from these evil thoughts.

Finally the sand drew away from her and she kinda stumbled to the ground. Shaking her head, she got back up, dusting herself off even though all the sand was gone. Melody walked back over to Yao and put her hands up again. He grabbed her hands and put them behind her, putting chakra cuffs on her. Mel shook her head again, with that what-have-I-gotten-myself-into look. Gaara smirked at her, giving her you-know-what-you-did look before he strode away. Mel's shoulder slumped. "Oh, shut it." she muttered to his back, starting to walk.

Yao walked beside her, making sure she didn't run or try to attack the Kazekage. But something told him she wouldn't do either. He smiled, thinking that that this girl could become a good asset to the village if she ever wanted to join. I mean, she did take down a Jounin. he thought. He contemplated the decision and decided to tell what he thought to the Kazekage later.

Besides, he could understand why she'd burst into attack. Ken had called Kazekage-sama a monster. She'd reacted. It seemed odd to Yao. This girl, who didn't even know what Ken was really talking about, had gotten so… protective over the matter. But then, there was a possibility that she did know what Ken had meant by the statement. All of it was just confusing, so Yao shrugged it off.

* * *

**Tears: Yay! Quick updates!!!! ^.^**

**I want to thank Reedoh for constantly asking: 'How much longer?' ^.^ If you hadn't bugged me, I wouldn't have bugged Bittersweet and this chappie wouldn't be up so soon! **

**Also, you reviewers might want to check the blog, there are a LOT of goodies up right now. And tomorrow, I'll post a spoiler up on the blog.**

BTW, I need a new Reporter!!!! If no one volunteers, the recent Reporters will interview again. -sticks tongue out-

**Itachi: Tears and Bittersweet don't own anything except the plot and Melody Char and Muffin.**

**Sasuke: Hn, thankfully... -muttering about turning into chickens...-  
**


	19. Chapter 18

**Tears: WOOHOO! QUICK UPDATE! Don't you love me? For the first time ever, I did I quick update! *dances with happy-happy-joy-joy***

**Ok, so, yeah. Remember, the blog peeps! There's a spoiler there and me and Bittersweet would love to hear your feedback. ;) We really enjoy feedback.  
**

**Melody: Only me, Muffin, and the plot belong to the authors, everyone else belongs to the creator of Naruto. (Tears: Forgot his name.... -_-'')**

**Sasuke: Hn, hn, hn hn hnnnnnnn!**

**Tears and Melody: ..?  
**

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MELODY'S POV

Finally, everyone gathered in Gaara's office. It was nice, although what it really lacked was character. It looked kinda empty in my opinion. The walls were bare, the desk was orderly -although full of paper work- and everything was… clean. Not a speck of dirt. I blinked and then saw a chair. I looked at Yao pointedly shaking my arms. He hesitated. "I'm not going to attack him, for God's sake. I'd never attack him." I snapped at him, straining over the cuffs. They were biting into my skin.

Gaara's shoulders stiffened from where he was. Which was walking to his chair. He sat down and nodded. "Release her." he told Yao. Yao nodded curtly.

"Yes, Kazekage-sama." he agreed and went over to undo my cuffs. They clicked and I quickly shook my hands out. There were very light red marks where the cuffs had been and I rubbed them soothingly. I walked to the chair and sat down, crossing my legs. I chewed on my lip nervously.

Yao walked up, a little nervous himself. He cleared his throat and started. "This girl is suspected of being a spy." he told Gaara. I rolled my eyes.

"Which I'm not."

"All spies say that."

"But I'm not lying."

"Everybody lies."

"Well, _duh_. A little lie is sometimes better than the truth, I agree with that. But I'm not lying about not being a spy. So in truth, I'm not a spy. Get it?" I explained. Yao looked lost. My shoulders slumped and I wanted to fall anime style. I sighed and face palmed myself. "I'm working with an idiot." I muttered to myself. I didn't have time for this. Sasori and Diedara were leaving in two days. It would take them one to get here. I had three days to somehow miraculously save Gaara. Some heroine I was for being accused of being a spy and confusing everybody while trying to explain to them that I _wasn't_ a spy.

"Understood. I trust your telling the truth and that you are not a spy. If you are a spy though, the consequences would be… horrific." Gaara said. I looked up, grinning.

"So you've decided you trust me?!" I asked, excited now. Rising a nonexistent brow, Gaara slowly nodded. I smiled.

"You won't regret it." I told him, practically bouncing in my seat now. _Gaara-kun trusts me!!!!!! Oh yeah!!!!_ God, I was such an obsessed individual at heart when it came to Gaara. Although, I would never admit it aloud and definitely not to him. Yao cleared his throat again. I stopped bouncing and looked at him, completely serious again.

"Then there is only one question to ask now. What is your business here in Suna?" he asked. I shrugged.

"I want to live here. Maybe become a ninja. It all depends." I admitted. Yao smiled suddenly and turned to Gaara.

"Kazekage-sama?" he asked, eyes curious. Damn, it was like he _wanted_ me to become a ninja for Suna or something. Gaara contemplated the whole scenario and then sighed.

"Suna welcomes new residents and future ninjas all the time. All you need to do is fill out some paper work." he told me, opening a drawer and taking some papers out. He handed them to me and I got up to grab them. He handed them to me. I took them and flopped back onto the leather chair. I skimmed through the papers and then sweat dropped.

"Er… I'm afraid I can't answer some of these questions." I whispered, chewing on my lip again. _Damn! No, double damn! NO! Multiply that double damn by two! QUADRUPLE DAMN! _I was screaming in my head. Yao scoffed.

"How can you not-" he started but was interrupted by Gaara.

"Dismissed Yao." Gaara said suddenly, staring into my eyes. I gulped, the obsessed individual inside me swooning but the real me just shivering. His ice green eyes stared unblinking into mine and I couldn't see any emotion in them right now. It was unnerving, making my stomach churn. Yao nodded and left.

"Yes, Kazekage-sama." he said on the way out. The door closed. Silence. Gaara and I continued staring into the other's eyes, neither of us backing down. Finally I couldn't stand it anymore and I jumped up. I started to pace the room. This was bad, I was going to be kicked out of the village. Just because I couldn't answer some damned questions. I ran a hand through me hair and turned back to face Gaara.

He had his arms crossed over his chest. "What questions can you not answer?" he asked calmly. I rolled my eyes and felt my heart sink. If I couldn't find a way around the questions, then I couldn't save Gaara. And that was _**bad**_!

"Most of them." I responded sadly. I sat down, the exhaustion suddenly crashing down on me. I curled my legs under me, resting my head on the back of the soft chair. I hit my head fall against the spine of the chair, squeezing my eyes shut. How was I supposed to save Gaara if I wasn't even allowed into the damn village? Fuck, this was a mess…

"… How come you can't answer them?" he asked quietly.

"It's… difficult. Hard to explain. And I'm not going to bullshit the answers. I hate liars…" I muttered. He nodded, I could hear his hair swish with the movement.

"I'll help you then." he told me, grabbing my papers back with sand. I jumped, surprised and looked at him with wide dark blue eyes.

"Really?! That would be awesome Gaara! _Arigato_!" I said happily, doing a mental happy dance. He nodded distractedly. He grabbed a pen from the left drawer of his desk, muttering about stupid paperwork. I chuckled lightly and leaned back in my chair, smiling lightly.

"Name?" he asked.

"Melody Char." I informed him. He started to open his mouth but I interrupted. "And yes, I know my first name is strange. But I think my last name is strange, so shut up." I snapped, hating those words. Everyone always said that here. It was _really_ annoying, actually. Gaara rose a nonexistent brow.

"I wasn't going to say that."

"Then what were you going to say?" I asked sarcastically, almost daring him to say something I hadn't heard already. His expression never changed.

"That's a nice name." he said. I sweat dropped, blushing very lightly. I dropped my head.

"Oh." I swear, I could _hear_ him smirk. "Uh… arigato."

"Any family?"

"I guess so. My father." I shrugged.

"What about your mother? Any siblings?"

"No."

"Your mother?" he asked again, noting that I'd avoided that particular question. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I don't like to talk about her." I snapped. Then I looked away, trying to calm myself down. I didn't need to get angry about my mother. I might do something regrettable… My hand reached towards my bag, where the pills were. I really hoped they'd work, like Pein had said.

"Kaka Genkai?"

"Don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"I mean, I'm not sure if I have one or not."

"It's a simple question." he told me, eyes slightly irritated. I sighed.

"And? You don't have a kaka genkai and yet you control sand." I shrugged. I knew the reason behind that too, although I'd never talk about it until I felt it would be a comfortable time. To mention that I knew about Shukaku. Gaara sighed himself, a really tired sound. I was reminded that he never slept in fear of letting the Shukaku take over his body and a small amount of pity leaked into my posture. I quickly recomposed myself before he noticed.

"That's something else entirely." he whispered. "Well, is there anything special you can do?" he asked, reforming the question. Slowly, although reluctantly, I told him.

"As a person I know put it, I have an affinity with the elements. I can somewhat control them." I told him quietly. I didn't meet his eyes, so instead I stared at the right wall. He nodded a tiny bit.

"What do you mean, somewhat? Is there a danger when using them?" he asked. I sighed.

"Iie. To put it simple, I can usually call upon the elements and use them to my bidding. Then will them away. But… when I mean somewhat… it's just…" I sighed again, running a hand through my hair. Gaara stayed patient.

"It's just what?" he asked, voice soothing. I looked at him for a second, at the kindness and patience in his eyes, and then looked away agian.

"When my emotions get too… out of control, you could put it… bad things happen. I don't even call on the elements and something happens. A strong wind might start up, or something may catch fire, or the ground might quake or -although doubted here- it'll start raining hard. It's really hard to explain, but bad things just happen." I tried very hard to make it simple. My hands shook in my lap. I felt like an idiot.

Gaara was quiet and then nodded. "Like what happened to Ken's scarf? You got extremely mad at him for calling me a monster?" he whispered. I nodded slowly, looking up at him.

"Yeah."

"Can I ask you a question, off the record?"

"Um… sure."

"Why did you get so angry at him for calling me a monster. You don't know me, don't know what I've done." he whispered. The pain in his voice was hurtful. I shook my head and stood up. I strode up to his desk and put my hands on it. I frowned at him, my heart pounding.

"Gaara, your not a monster. _**Never **_in my eyes have you been a monster. Confused and hurt, maybe. But I understand that." I smiled at him softly. Finally, after a minute, he smiled back. I sat back down, still smiling softly. He cleared his throat, smile vanishing and looked back at the papers…

"Well, it asks about your ninja status in your old village, but I don't see a headband on you, so I'm assuming your not a ninja." he said quickly.

"Actually, I am a ninja. I just don't really have a village." I answered, shrugging. He rose a non-existent brow.

"Really? Well, I'll test your skills tomorrow and then finish your paper work, since the rest of questions were about your village…" he said, writing stuff down. I nodded. It really kinda sucked being from a different world, it brought along many complications to me and Muffin.

"Thanks. Can't wait to fight ya." I winked, joking lightly. He rolled his eyes silently, staying mute.

"Do you have a place to stay?" he asked, shuffling through the papers he'd written on me. He'd decided I was trustworthy enough to be a Suna citizen and he told me he'd battle against me tomorrow to judge my stance as a ninja. I wanted to laugh a little at the way this had all turned out, but didn't. Fighting Gaara in a spar? It made me smile in anticipation. But this question surprised me. I blinked.

"Er… no."

"Well, let's see about-" he started to shuffle through his papers again but was interrupted when the door banged open.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU- …Oh." Temari stood there, chest heaving probably from running too fast. But now she was kinda shocked. I smiled at her and waved.

"Moshi moshi, Temari-san!" I greeted. Gaara rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What do you want, Temari?" he asked. Temari just blinked. She stared at me, then looked at Gaara, then back at me. Gaara seemed to understand whatever this meant because he glared. "No." he snarled. Temari grinned evilly.

"Ya sure?"

"Hai!" he snapped. Temari sighed and nodded. Then she put a hand on her hip.

"You missed dinner." she told Gaara, annoyed again. Gaara snorted.

"Purposefully." he told her without looking up, still shuffling through papers. I laughed, causing Temari to glare at me. I shrugged.

"Eh, it's not my fault you can't cook." I told her, putting my hands in the air defensively. Temari huffed and Gaara quirked a small smile. I smiled at her. "It's ok, I'll teach you! Promise." I told her sincerely. Having to cook for yourself from an early age made me a very _good _cook too! She gave me a look that asked are-you-serious and then switched her look to Gaara.

"Who is this?" she asked, confused. Gaara looked at me.

"Temari, meet Melody Char. She's a new citizen of Suna. Right now we are looking for an apartment for her to live in." he said, going back to shuffling through papers. He sighed in frustration suddenly. "But I can't seem to find the damn apartment papers." he muttered. Temari grinned suddenly.

"She can live with us!" she announced. Gaara and I both froze. I looked at her, completely shocked.

"You wouldn't mind?" I breathed. She shook her head, making her four tiny little ponytails fly.

"Iie. Besides, I'm gonna take you up on that promise. I'm tired of Konkuro's complaints and Gaara missing family time." she said, pointedly glaring at Gaara. He was still frozen. I looked at him and suddenly felt my heart shudder. What if he didn't want me to live with them… "Gaara?" Temari suddenly asked. He looked up, his eyes guarded. They flashed to me.

I sighed and quickly thought out a lie. "It's ok. I'll just…um… find my friend's house! They live somewhere here. I'll just call them… and ask if I can stay… Yeah. So… um… see you tomorrow for the battle thing, Gaara. Ja'ne!" I called out and ran out of the Kazekage building before Temari could say anything.

I ran a while longer and then slowed to a walk, sighing. Where was I going to stay? I had no friends in this world besides Muffin-chan and Itachi. I shivered, aware of the biting cold wind. I pulled my jacket closer to me, shivering. I closed my eyes and willed the wind to die. In mere second the howling wind had stopped and all there was was silence. The air warmed just a tad. I sat down by a building and grabbed some trash from the ground. I put it in a pile and willed it to suddenly catch fire. It took a lot longer than the wind, because there was nothing here to help it come to life. But after a while, it lit and the area around me was warmer.

I sighed and scooted the pile closer with a stick. What was I going to do? I was practically a hobo now. I wished I had some company. Lordie, I'd even accept the emo's company if he'd been here. I didn't like being alone, because of my father mostly. I was always alone back home and now here I was, alone again. I sighed.

Suddenly, a cleared throat caught my attention. I looked up to see Gaara standing there. I held back my shock.

He glared down at me and I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. "What?" I snapped at him. He towered over me and I felt very small. He sighed and sat down, staring at the fire. Then his icy green eyes snapped to me, warmed by the flickering flames that reflected in them. Oh God, that was hot. The obsessed individual in me melted.

"You lied." he told me quietly. I blinked innocently.

"Did I?" I asked. He nodded.

"You don't have a friend that lives here. Or else you wouldn't be out in the streets." he explained. I smirked.

"And how do you know that, eh? What if I do have a friend here and she or he just rejected me?" I countered. He gave me a look and shook his head. His hair swished and I caught a glimpse of his love kanji. I scooted forward and pushed the hair away from it, smiling. He flinched away. "You shouldn't hide that behind your hair." I told him quietly. He glared at me.

"Don't change the subject." he snapped, lightly pushing me away. I sighed and leaned back against the wall. "No friend rejects their friend out into the cold."

"Ah, but it's not cold."

"That's because the wind stopped and you have a fire."

"You prefer the wind?"

"It's a usual thing during the night. I'd prefer if you returned it." he said, raising a nonexistent brow. I sighed and closed my eyes. The wind returned, suddenly blowing out my fire.

"Kusso." I snapped, trying to will it to light again. It didn't. I ran a hand through my hair. I was tired and my chakra was low. Gaara got up.

"Come on. Temari insists that you stay with us." he said. I shook my head.

"No. If you don't want me to, I don't want to." I snapped, impatient. He rolled his eyes, annoyed now. I wasn't moving in if he didn't like me. That would just displease him more. Although I was only here to protect him, I wanted to do that in a way that would keep him content.

"Your being difficult. Besides, whoever said that I don't want you to?" he countered. I snorted.

"I'm always being difficult, ask anybody who knows me. And are you saying that you want me to?" I scoffed. It was unlikely when he was so tense. He shook his head.

"Really and who knows you? Yes, that is what I'm saying. …I think." he trailed off. He sighed. Slowly, I smiled. So he did want me to come? Well, I was fine with that too.

"Not many people." I answered and got up. "Lead the way, almighty Kazekage." I said, swinging my arm outward. He shook his head and started walking away. I jogged up to his side and kept pace. His steps were wider than mine, so I had to speed up my walk. Gaara gave me a side glance.

"Stubborn _and _sarcastic." he snorted. I grinned at him.

"Yup!" I laughed, still grinning. His expression changed and I let mine drop. "Nani?" I asked, slightly wary now. Had I done something wrong already? He shook his head.

"Nothing. You just reminded me of someone just then." he muttered. Blinking, I grew a thoughtful expression. Then I beamed and grinned again. I gave him a thumbs up.

"Oh, you mean Naruto? Do I really remind you of him? Arigato!" I said, chuckling. At Gaara's surprised look, I chuckled again. "I know Naruto - to an extent." I explained. If Muffin was here, she would have given me a look. I knew that I wasn't supposed to let our secret slip, but I could never lie to Gaara. And I was being truthful while still keeping to my promise I _did_ know Naruto, to an extent. He didn't know me though. And Gaara didn't know I was from another world. My logic was undeniable. ((Lol, I-Robot))

Gaara nodded and we walked in silence. I sighed, shivering lightly. I hated the cold and Suna at night had put meaning into the word cold. You'd think the desert at night would be warm…. Eh, but this _was_ the wind country. I rolled my eyes but smiled as I followed Gaara to his house.

Fifteen minutes later, I was ushered into this huge adobe building. Gaara went into the living room, pulling out spare blankets from a cabnet. "We don't have a spare room, but your welcome to sleep on the floor of Temari's room-" "I'd rather sleep on the couch, please." I murmured. He looked at me, shrugged and then tossed the blankets on the couch.

"Whatever. Good night, Melody." he said and disappeared into the hall. I sighed and got comfortable on the couch. I missed my best friend and sensei. But it had been my choice to come here. I closed my eyes and in seconds I was asleep…

* * *

"Are we there yet?" A dark haired teenager wiped the sweat from her brow, giving the sun a small frown. A trio were walking through the long desert that connected rain village with wind country, heading in the direction of the country's capital. The blonde haired, red cloud cloaked figure scowled, before folding his arms across his chest.

"Will you stop asking that question, un? We'll get there when we get there, yeah!" A scorpion looking, armored puppet in a matching cloak rolled his eyes, before clicking his tongue.

"You're both testing my patience.. We only left an hour ago. So please, for the sake of my sanity, be quiet!" Diedara pouted, before whispering behind his hand to the teenager. "

Look, un! You got me in trouble too, yeah!"

Muffin blinked. "So? It's not like he's going to beat you into next week.-"

"...?"

"-Besides, his crabby behavior can be healed through sugar, duh!"

Diedara rolled his eyes. "You obviously don't know Sasori no Danna then, un." He said, his frown deepening.

"Er, what's that supposed to mean? You mean, he's always this mean to you?" Muffin covered her mouth with her two palms, before gasping dramatically. "So, that must mean.. You're in an emotionally abusive relationship with your boyfriend! Aw, poor Dei-chan!"

Diedara narrowed his eyes on the dark haired teen, and gave her an annoyed glare. "He's not my boyfriend, un! And I don't care if he belittles me or my art, yeah." Sasori was a couple of yards ahead of the duo, not being able to hear their conversation because of the blowing breeze.

"Aw, you're in denial about your relationship, aren't you? It's okay, when Mel tried to tell Emosuke that he was emo, he was in denial too!" Muffin nodded sadly.

Diedara scoffed, before turning away from the dark haired teenager. "I'm not in denial, un." He mumbled under his breath, pouting.

Muffin grinned goofily, before patting the blonde haired artist's shoulder. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Dei! Don't you know how popular a yaoi pairing you two would make?"

Diedara suddenly grew an anime vein on his forehead, as he clutched his fist. "I'm not homosexual, un!" He exclaimed, his cheeks burning.

Muffin gave the blonde haired Akatsuki member an unconvinced stare, before folding her arms across her chest. "Yeah, right. You didn't fool me when you said you didn't like sugar, and you can't fool me now!" He rolled his eyes, before he self consciously rubbed his left, sleeved arm.

"This isn't the type of stuff you talk about in public.. With strangers, un!" Diedara exclaimed, making the dark haired teenager grin.

"Aw, we aren't strangers, Dei!"

The blonde haired artist gave Muffin a dead panned expression, before replying to the dark haired teen. "We met each other only three days ago, un."

Muffin pouted. "Are you really going to hold me over for that?"

Diedara nodded,"...."

Muffin sighed dramatically. "You know what? Fine! Bad Dei-chan! No sugar for you!" Muffin scolded, using a tone as if she were talking to a five year old. Diedara snorted, trying to pretend that it didn't bother him. "You think I actually care about that stuff, un? Psh.."

Muffin smiled evilly, before suddenly pulling out a bag of sugar out of nowhere. Diedara's left eye twitched. _'How does she do that, un?!' _Diedara thought incredulously. He turned away from the dark haired teenager again, scowling. _You're being silly, Diedara, it's only sugar, _he thought. He clenched his teeth as he tried to ignore the sounds of the bag opening. _'Only sugar, un.. Only sugar, un..' _Diedara took in a deep breath, as he broke in nervous sweat. _'It's only sugar, un.. Only sugar, un.. Only suga… Damn, this isn't working, un!' _Diedara held his hands up in defeat, as he exclaimed to the teenager:

"Fine, un! I admit it! I'm.." Kami, unfortunately, likes playing with people's minds. When Diedara finally turned around, expecting to face Muffin, but he found the face of very annoyed puppet master instead, with an amused teenaged girl in the background. "Diedara, you insolent brat, hurry up! If we sit around any longer, we won't make it there on time." Diedara seethed in annoyance and frustration, before sending a dark glare at the teenaged girl.

"I hate you." Diedara mouthed to the brunette as they continued walking, making the teenager grin in response.

Muffin stuck out her tongue, before making a funny face, which consisted of her index fingers stretching out her mouth and a wrinkled nose. When Sasori glanced over his shoulder, Muffin dropped the expression, giving him an innocent smile. After Sasori had averted his eyes, she turned to the blonde artist with a small, evil glint in her eye. She mouthed back her reply, "Still in denial, Dei-chan!" The blonde haired Akatsuki member sighed, knowing that this was going to be a long trip.

* * *

I bolted up from the couch, and a silent scream emitted from my lips. My arms shook and my lips moved wordlessly. I cried, the nightmare still playing through my head. I hugged my knees to my chest, my face buried in the crack between them. "Go away… go away…" I choked out the words, wishing so bad everything of that nightmare would do so. Would listen to my words and vanish completely from my memory. But it didn't. It had been so lifelike… so scary!

"You're the guest here, not me." came the cool voice. I jumped and looked up, tears still trailing down my cheeks. Gaara stood there, staring down at me. He'd blocked any emotion from his face. I drew away a little and looked away.

"I wasn't talking about you." I murmured, quickly wiping the tears from my face. I pouted, hating that Gaara had been standing there watching me cry. I hated crying in front of people. I hated being thought of weak. Crying, according to a lot of people back home, was a major sign of weakness. I sighed and closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down. But images of my family; Muffin, Naruto-nii and even Gaara dead flashed through me head and I jerked, slamming my eyes open.

"You look distressed." he stated dully. I laughed, or at least tried to. It came out sounding like I was gagging up a lung. It was choked, broken, not right. I sighed and hugged my knees again.

"What was your first clue?" I sighed, trying to lighten myself up with sarcasm. Where was Muffin and her genius funny logic when I needed it the most? Back at the Akatsuki base, that's where. I distantly wondered what the hell she was doing. Having more 'tea parties' with Diedara? Practicing with Fish Face? Annoying Pein? Sharing sugar with Maddy? Making Itchy-sensei laugh with her randomness? Making all of Kakazu's money magically 'disappear'? The suggestions whirling inside my mind made me chuckle.

"What's so funny?" he asked, breaking the silence. I looked up at him and smirked.

"My head." I answered vaguely. He rose a brow.

"Your head? It looks fine to me." he replied, sorta confused still. I smiled.

"Well, arigato." I murmured. He nodded, staring at me. I was silent, trying not to squirm under his unwavering look. What did he want? Why was he still here? Oh God, I hope my hair wasn't too messy. Oh no, that sounded so girly. Ick, I hate sounding girly. I've always been the tomboy, wherever I've gone. People noticed this a lot… they always called me strange because of it. I sighed.

"You talk too much." Gaara's voice shattered the well-built up silence. I looked up at him, eyes wide.

"Huh?" I asked, completely oblivious to what he was talking about. Then it hit me. I'd been talking out loud. I blushed lightly. "Um… how much of that train of thought did you hear?" I mumbled, running my fingers through my hair. He smirked.

"Enough." he replied. I groaned and hit my forehead with my palm. More heart wrenching silence. Then, "You're not strange you know, you're just… different. Besides, not being girly is fine. It's sometimes better actually. Girly girls are kinda annoying sometimes and they never know when to suck it up and deal. Tomboys know how to do that." It was the most I'd probably ever heard him say. I looked up at him.

"Um… thanks?"

"Your welcome."

"Gaara?"

"Yes?"

"I need a hug." I pouted. I did, to be honest. I was a huggy person who'd just had a nightmare that had scared the living shit outta me… although, I was sure that shit wasn't alive. Hm… then why did people, including myself, say that? I mean, shit wasn't a breathing living thing! It was- you know what… never mind. I can't believe I was thinking about explaining that. Yuck.

Gaara was giving me a strange look. I sighed. "Never mind. I should have never asked… you can go back to resting now…" I muttered, but that earned me another strange look. Crap! _MELODY SHUT THE HELL UP BEFORE YOU BLAB OUT YOUR WHOLE LIFE STORY! _I screamed at myself mentally. I turned and started to get comfortable before I sighed. I looked over my shoulder at Gaara. "Just… just go back to bed, Gaara. I'm fine…." I muttered.

But Gaara just stood there, arms crossed, giving me a hard look. I rolled my eyes and got up. Being the stupid I was, I tripped over the blanket that had seemed to wrap around my ankles on it's own. I started to fall but sand caught me automatically. I blinked and then kicked off the blanket. I stumbled to my feet as the sand slowly slipped away.

"Your clumsy when your tired." he stated.

I rolled my eyes. "People tend to be like that sometimes." I snapped. His eyes narrowed.

"You don't need to be harsh."

"You don't need to point out my flaws."

"I was merely observing-"

"And telling me one of my flaws."

"No, I was-"

"Telling me my flaw." I nodded as if to make my point more obvious.

"No-"

I interrupted again. "Yes."

"Damn, are you always this stubborn!?" he snapped, glaring. I smiled at him, crossing my own arms and putting my weight on my left foot, causing my hips to shift to the right. He watched me. I winked at him, causing his face to grow hot.

"Yup!" I exclaimed and chuckled. I was wide awake now, with my falling stunt and little petty argument with Gaara. He rolled his eyes at me and I grinned wider, my eyes squeezing shut happily. When I opened my eyes again, Gaara was smiling faintly. I paused. "What? Why are you smiling now?"

"You really act like Naruto, and yet not completely. Your more… defensive, calmer sometimes, serious and you have different color hair and eye color." he smiled slightly again. "You really remind me of that silly guy." I smiled back.

"You know, that is one of the highest compliments you've ever given me. Nii-san is, like, my idol. Always has been." _Well, besides Itchy-sensei, _I thought lightly. I looked around, even though we were alone. "Just don't tell him that, he might get a big head." I whispered behind my hand. Gaara chuckled.

"Don't worry. It'll be our secret." he nodded. I grinned widely. I skipped over to him and gave him a hug. He tensed but I just hugged him.

"Thanks, Gaara. Your awesome." I whispered and pulled away. He stared at me, wide eyed. I smiled tentatively back at him and shook my head. "Hey, it's early. You should be… er… sleeping. Go on, I've got my hug." I chuckled and started to push him back towards the hallway. When he finally started walking on his own, I stopped and headed back to the couch. I settled down and sighed, eyes slipping closed. I was quickly fast asleep, nightmares having been chased away.

* * *

**Bittersweet: I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Tears is,like,on some type of roll,or something. Like,we updated three days in a row! So,please,we'd really appreciate your feedback. That's why we updated the story so much this week. So,Sasuke,did you enjoy the chapter?**

**Sasuke: Hn,no.. *Sulking in the emo corner.***

**Bittersweet: Well,you're emo,you don't enjoy anything. *Sweat drops.***

**Sasuke: *Scowls.* Shut up,hn!**

**Bittersweet: *Rolls her eyes.* But besides that.. Tears and I get really encouraged when you guys write a review,so please,even if it's a word or two.. Review! Thank you for reading! *Grins and waves.***


	20. Chapter 19

**Tears: Yay! Another quick update! Don't you guys just love our speed now a days? I know Reedoh does. ;P **

**Don't worry, a little obsession is healthy....**

**STALKER obsession though.... -glances at Sasuke- Now that, that is unhealthy.**

**Sasuke: Hn, shut up. I'm not a stalker... or emo!**

**Melody: -sighs irritated- So you've mentioned.**

**Muffin: Maybe he needs sugar!**

**Tears: Er... here's the chapter, enjoy!!!  
**

* * *

Chapter Nineteen

Third Person's POV

Gaara waited until he heard her heartbeat slow and padded silently back over to the couch. Her lips were still turned up into a soft smile. He slowly grabbed her head and pushed her up. She mumbled something incoherent, still sleeping. He slipped onto the couch and pulled her up against him. He didn't want to be alone in his room, contemplating his work schedule while he rested. Instead, tonight, he'd watch this girl.

He was sure that she wasn't a spy now. She was too… nice. Innocent wasn't the exact word, because there was this dark aura that sometimes wrapped itself around her. But hell, he couldn't complain. He had his demons, she could have hers. He watched as Melody cuddled up against his side, clutching his wrist almost painfully.

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He listened to her hypnotic heartbeat, sometimes speeding up but eventually slowing back down. He thought about all of what was now happening. Melody was moving into Suna, although he was sure her reason was not the complete truth. He couldn't say he hated the idea of having her around. Besides Naruto and his siblings, no one had ever really cared deeply about him. It appeared she did though.

He sighed and kept on thinking, falling into his resting state. Tomorrow he'd have to fight her. Then the day after that she'd have to be bored, which he had a feeling she'd complain about. Then the day after that she'd be officially a Suna citizen and ninja. After that, well… he wasn't sure.

Gaara waited all night until finally it was six AM and Temari woke up. She walked past them and into the kitchen. Gaara opened his eyes and watched her. She paused suddenly, retraced her steps and stared at them. She blinked, rubbed her eyes, and then blinked again.

"Oh my-"

"Shut up, you'll wake her." he whispered, eyes narrowing. Temari smiled widely, raised her brows and then danced back into the kitchen, humming softly as she ruined more good food. He sighed and waited to be able to move again.

* * *

"Cactus number one fifty three… Cactus number one fifty four... Cactus number one fifty fi-"

"Shut up already, un!" snapped a very annoyed, blonde haired Akatsuki member. The dark haired teenager pouted, before folding her arms across her chest.

"Oh, don't be so mean, Dei-chan! Just because you have morning PMS like Emosuke does doesn't give you the right to.." Deidara grew an anime vein, his fingers itching to his pouch of clay. The dark haired teen had been getting on his nerves for the past day, but enough was enough.

"Deidara, don't. You'll draw unneeded attention to ourselves." Sasori said, giving him a warning look.

Muffin blinked, before glancing both ways. Muffin tilted her head, confused. "Draw attention to ourselves? To who? The rolling tumbleweed?"

Deidara frowned. "What's a 'tumbleweed', un?"

Muffin tapped her chin thoughtfully, arching her brows. "They are.. Er.." She scratched the back of her head, puzzled. "..Er, what are we talking about again?"

Deidara sweat dropped,"..."

After a few moments, she snapped her fingers, an anime light bulb appearing over her head. "Oh yeah! It's like, those little plants that look like barrels of hay. You know, the ones that roll past deserted, abandoned places in movies and…" Muffin was interrupted by Sasori, who was still in his scorpion puppet armor, growing his own anime vein.

"Enough, before I whip the both of you!" Muffin blinked at the red head's outburst, before smiling evilly to Deidara. Deidara rolled his eyes, having an idea on what was going through the teen's mind.

"He whips you, Dei-chan? Very kinky…"Muffin mouthed, before snickering at the artist's scowling expression. _'It's not like that, un.._' Deidara thought, his scowl deepening.

"But to answer your question, we're actually a mile away from a small village. We need to stop because we need some supplies, and by the time we're finished, it'll already be night fall." Sasori answered, sounding bored.

Muffin blinked. "We're at Suna already?"

Deidara scoffed, before folding his arms across his chest. "No, un. Didn't you even hear one thing he said, yeah? We're stopping at a local village, and we'll arrive in Suna by tomorrow afternoon, un."

"Oh.. I knew that! Heh, heh.." Muffin said, laughing nervously. About fifteen minutes later, the trio arrived in front of a small town, which consisted of a few buildings.

"This is it, un? It's so small..."Deidara said, dead toned. Muffin snickered.

"Size matters to you, Dei-chan?"

Deidara scowled. "Not funny, un." The trio approached the town, which seemed deserted and abandoned. Muffin frowned, wondering where everybody was.. Suddenly, a bundle of tumbleweed rolled past, making Muffin's eyes widen.

"It's a sign!"

Sasori rolled his eyes. "That wasn't tumbleweed. It wasn't large enough. It must've been merely a clutter of dust."

Muffin fell anime style, earning her a few strange stares from the Akatsuki pair. Suddenly, a loud alarm played from a nearby source, startling Muffin. After thirty seconds, the town seemed to have thrived with life. The window shutters had unclasped from their locks, doors slammed open, and people filed through in big crowds. This made Muffin give the Akatsuki members a puzzled expression. "Okay, that was a bit creepy.."

"It's wind country, what did you expect, un?" Deidara mumbled under his breath, earning a small glare from the red head.

"In wind country, people are in a frenzy to get to work because they don't want to be late." Sasori explained, confusing the teen more.

Muffin tilted her head, confused. "But.. That doesn't make sense! Of course they want to get to work on time but.. Why did every body do it at the same time?" Muffin asked loudly, trying to over ride the sound of people shuffling through the streets.

"And why right now, un?" Deidara muttered, not liking all the noise.

"Because it's the end of their lunch break, of course." Sasori said, ignoring the quizzical expressions coming from the blonde and the brunette.

"Never mind..." Muffin said, shaking her head. Now that she thought about it, she'd rather not know.. But besides that, Muffin was extremely bored. If Melody were here, she wouldn't be, right? Muffin sighed, before kicking her feet into the dirt.. Well, it was really sand, but that was besides the point. She wondered what Melody was doing. What if Gaara thought Melody was a spy? What if he didn't believe her? What if the council put her to death? What if sh-

"Come on brat, we need to keep on moving if we're going to stay on schedule." Sasori said, making

Muffin pout in result. "I'm not a brat.. I'm just hyper, duh!"

Diedara's frown was replaced with a dead panned expression. "We know, un. Hyperactive, yeah. It's like she has ADHD, un." Deidara mumbled under his breath.

Muffin frowned, still wondering about her light brown haired friend. Muffin also wondered about the real world.. Well, the Naruto universe was kinda real, too, so Muffin couldn't say that. So, instead, Muffin thought about the real… er, _her_ world. Did people notice that they were missing? _'What if Mel's parents are worried that she's gone? Wait, what about mom and dad? Did they notice that I am missing?_' Muffin thought to herself, before frowning. _'It's not like they'd care.._'

Muffin wondered how many days it has been since they've been here. Maybe three weeks? Four? Did Mel keep count? The dark haired teenager turned around to ask, before inwardly face palming her forehead. _'Wow, that was stupid of you, Muffin…. Of course you can't ask her these questions, Muffin, she's not here!' _Muffin blinked. _'Wait, I have voices in my head? Maybe I need some more sugar..' _Muffin sighed, before running her fingers through her hair.

_Flashback_

_"Hey, it's the end of your shift, A-"_

_"It's Muffin!" The dark haired teenager snapped, before smiling happily again. The senior employee of the department raised a brow, before frowning. _

_"That's not what it says on your name tag.." Muffin, still smiling, pretended like she didn't hear that. "But seriously, though. The boss wanted you to get off early because there's going to be some type of class field trip thing going on, and since you're still in training for the cash register position, he doesn't want you going slow on the customers…. Something about being bad for business or something."_

_Muffin raised a brow. "Er, field trip? Hasn't school ended already?" The senior employee shrugged, making Muffin pose dramatically. "You mean there's people.. That still stay in that place.. Two hours more then you're supposed to?! Such poor, poor people!" _

_The employee sighed, before shaking his head. He wasn't completely used to her strange behavior, and was getting a bit annoyed. "OK, 'Muffin'. But you really need to get off shift now, though." _

_Muffin blinked. "Er, am I being paid for the hour that I'm not working?"_

_He shook his head. "No." _

_Muffin scowled, before folding her arms across her chest. Her eyes turned serious, instead of the normal happy-go-lucky expression. This made the senior employee feel uncomfortable. "I need the pay for the hours that I'm working, and the boss knows that." The senior employee held up his hands in defense, frowning. She was just a teenager, what did she need the money for? And her glare, albeit small, wasn't helping.. "_

_Hey, don't tell me that. Tell the boss. I'm only doing my job."_

_Muffin sighed, before walking in the direction of the office. She needed to talk to him about that.. As she walked past the exhibits, she noticed the large crowds surrounding the usually empty area. Muffin noticed the yellow school buses parked outside, making her fasten her pace. Muffin suddenly felt somebody's hand on her shoulder. "Honey, can we-" She turned around to face a teenaged girl around her age, who had light brown hair and blue eyes. _

_Muffin blinked, "Who's Honey?" The dark haired teenager's frustration melted away with the question as she continued," Like, honey, the bee honey? That goes good on toast." Muffin nodded happily, making the girl quirk a smile._

_"Nah, Honey is my partner. Sorry for the trouble. Maybe she'll be in the gift shop…." The teenager mumbled, biting her lip. Muffin grinned. "Oh! I'm going there too! Can I join you?" She asked. The boss's office was down the hall, past the gift shop. So, in a sense, she kind of was going in that direction. _

_The light brown haired teenager shrugged. "Sure. I'm Melody. You can call me Mel." She said, offering her a hand. Muffin took it and shook hands. _

_"I'm Muffin!" She introduced cheerfully, her frowning disposition long gone. _

_Melody gave her a look and started to ask, "Mu-"_

_"Yes, Muffin." She snapped and then smiled again. __**'That always happens!' **__Muffin thought sourly. "So Mel, are you here on a school field trip too?" Muffin asked, glancing at the large crowds of students. Melody nodded, before stuffing her hands in her black cargos. _

_"Yeah, my teacher thought this would be fun educational trip. I don't know. I knew most the things on the worksheet already. Besides, this museum doesn't have any art… Or anime." She muttered distastefully._

_Muffin's eyes went wide again. "You like anime too!?" She asked, getting excited. Muffin always thought she was strange for liking Japanese cartoons. And having an unhealthy obsession with sugar.. But that was besides the point. Melody nodded eagerly, her own excitement growing. "What's your favorite show?" Muffin asked, her side bang falling into her face. She tucked it back out of her face._

_"I __**love **__Naruto!" Melody said, putting emphasis on love. _

_Muffin grinned wider. "I love it too!" Muffin said, practically bouncing up and down from a sugar rush. _

_Melody grinned too, slightly shaking her head. "I think you just became my new best friend!" Melody said, putting a hand over her heart dramatically. Muffin laughed as they approached the gift shop, which was full of colorful plushies, shirts, and souvenirs ._

_"Do you see Honey?" Muffin asked. _

_Melody shook her head, looking around. "Nope." She said, popping the 'p' in nope. Melody started wandering around the gift shop. That's when she saw the cutest thing ever: A rainbow colored dinosaur plushy. Melody rushed over to it. "OMG! I love it!" She squealed, hugging it to her chest. "Muffin! Come look!" Mel called. Muffin rushed over._

_Taking one look at the rainbow dino, Melody saw the adoration in her eyes. "It's so cute!" Muffin said, suddenly having some type of random urge to buy it. Muffin tried to snatch it, but Mel pulled it back. _

_"It's mine!" Melody said. _

_Muffin pouted. "I want it! …Do you have money to buy it?" She asked. _

_Melody stopped there. After a few moments, Melody stammered, "Uh…Well, you see…" Muffin grinned triumphantly and grabbed the dino's back legs and tried to pull it from her. Melody kept a firm grip on it's forelegs. "It's still mine! I'll just go all klepto, that's all." Mel said, pulling the rainbow dino back towards herself. _

_Muffin pulled it back towards herself. "Mel, Fiona don't want to go with you! Besides, at least I have money to buy her!" She argued. 'Well__**, no, I don't.. Not yet. But I could hide it in the back with the other plushies until I can!' **_

_Melody stopped and gave her a look. "Fiona?" She asked incredulously. _

_Muffin nodded vigorously, her brown eyes glowing. "That's her name." She stated. _

_Melody tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Fiona the rainbow brontosaurus. It fits." She agreed. Muffin grinned and her muscles relaxed. Melody took this moment to pull once again. That's when the strange thing happened. There seemed to be a soft snap in the air, and the smell of fruit wafted around the two teens. Melody looked around to see if anyone else was sniffing the sweet smell but they looked fuzzy. And going out of focus, too. Actually, everything was doing that. Then, the two teenagers felt like they was falling. After a few minutes of this strange sensation, Muffin finally felt herself fall onto cold, wet grounding. _

_"Ouch!" Melody yelped. Melody shook her head, and rubbed her eyes and wondered if she'd fallen on the ground of the Gift Shop. But then, the ground would be that ceramic stuff, not moist earth. She realized they were surrounded by.. Forest? Melody jumped to my feet. "Oh no! Where the hell are we?" She yelled, beginning to get a little frightened. Melody looked around, turning in quick circles. She stopped when she saw a familiar sight. "Muffin, is that you?" Melody asked. _

_Muffin looked up, rubbing her head with an annoyed expression. Muffin blinked. She realized she was surrounded by a bunch of trees, her bottom laying on the moist grass, the small gift shop no longer in sight. "…?" _

_End of Flashback_

Muffin blinked. "What the.."

Deidara grinned, before patting the dark haired teenager's head uncharacteristically. "Did you just experience your first flashback, un?" Muffin blinked in surprise, wondering how he knew about those. "Don't worry, it's a completely normal experience, un. Actually, I'm still waiting for mine to come, un.." Deidara mumbled under his breath, scowling. Muffin wondered what she was smoking, and if she heard that right.

"Flashbacks are annoying." Sasori stated, scowling himself.

Deidara chuckled. "What is it, Sasori no Danna, un? Did you have a bad one recently, yeah?"

"No." Sasori answered quickly; too quickly. Deidara smirked in triumph, while Muffin just looked more puzzled then before. "Did you purchase your supplies? Let's get moving." Sasori said, pretending like he was getting impatient.

"What did you have a flashback about, Sasori no Danna? Did you have it while fighting those cloud nins last week, un? Oh come on, I wanna know, yeah!" Deidara whined, pouting.

"Get a room." Muffin mumbled, getting slightly crabby from her lack of sugar.

Deidara tapped his chin thoughtfully. "So, you did have your flashback during a fight, un? Yeah, I heard it gets annoying.. That it happens every five seconds, or something, un."

Muffin sighed, deciding she'll stop thinking too hard and dismiss the topic before she got a headache. "We're here." Sasori said, not answering Diedara's questions. The trio stood in front of a small, run down inn, which had its dark paint paling and floor boards cracked. "Remember, we're leaving in the morning. It'll take us till late afternoon to get there, so that's why we're leaving early. So that means don't be late.. Because you know how I get when I'm impatient." Muffin, who took the last sentence differently then Sasori implied, was about to open her mouth to say something.. But was interrupted by a very annoyed Deidara, his arms folded across his chest.

"Don't say a word if you know what's good for you, un."

* * *

Melody's POV

I woke to the smell of burning toast. With a start, I bolted up from the hard couch from which I was resting on. I jumped to my feet, hands in the air. "I DIDN'T DO IT, I SWEAR!" I shouted, looking around frantically. "I didn't mean to burn the toast! It just happens sometimes!" I said frantically. Temari's head poked out of the kitchen doorway.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Someone got up from behind me. Wait! The couch hadn't been lumpy and hard before I went back to sleep; it'd been soft. But that meant… I turned. Gaara stood there, eyes locked on me.

"She burned it. Not you. But what do you mean, it just happens?" he asked, tone slightly curious. I paled.

"Uh… I mean… I mean… that I sometimes just happen to burn the toast?" I tried, laughing nervously. His eyes narrowed. I sighed. "I mentioned it before, Gaara. When I have strong emotions, things happen…." I told him quietly. He rose a non-existent brow but let it pass. He walked into the kitchen and I followed. Distantly, I wondered where Konkuro was. The pervert must still be asleep.

The kitchen was smoky. It smelled like ruined food. Muffin would have been in tears, trying to save at least the sugar. What would have made the girl really break down was that her namesake, Temari's muffins, were charred lumps. Even Melody felt bad for the poor lumps of bread. They'd been treated in such cruelty, along with every other food article. She sighed.

"Temari, stop cooking. I'll cook today." I said, already opening the fridge to grab more eggs and milk. I threw away the muffins and the other charred food. I quickly went to work, mixing the broken eggs yolks and milk together to create a more fluffy scrambled eggs. I let that sit for a minute and quickly took a jar of jelly from the cabinet and put in more toast, setting it for a lower temperature than the previous one Temari had used. I went back to the eggs and started cooking them.

Looking over my shoulder at Gaara, I asked a simple question. "Gaara do you happen to have any bacon?" He shook his head mutely. I sighed.

"Fine, we'll do without. Later, after out battle, can we happen to stop by a grocery store? Looking into your fridge I can tell you don't have much. We're going to need some steak, potatoes, carrots…" I started listing off what I wanted. Finally, I noted that my eggs were done, sprinkled pepper and salt on them and then turned off the flame on the stove. I grabbed a spatula and scooped eggs onto four plates, then grabbed the warm four pieces toast and put those on the plates. I set those on the table, then grabbed the jelly jar and put it on the center of the table.

Third Person's POV

"…She's a god." came another male voice. Melody squeaked in surprise and turned - surprised - towards the sleep messy Konkuro. He was staring at the food, practically drooling. Temari huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. Melody blushed lightly and Gaara's gaze narrowed.

"Aw, Konku-san. I'm not a god, but thanks for the compliment." she smiled lightly, still blushing. Gaara felt something spark inside him and he glared lightly at his older brother. Konkuro didn't notice. He just grinned and nodded.

"Your welcome, Melody. I knew Gaara was right when he demanded you stay with us instead of living on the streets!" he laughed. Mel smiled at Gaara softly, eyes kind.

"Yeah, I'm glad he did that too." she breathed. Gaara felt his face grow a little hot, so he turned around and walked out of the room.

"I'm not hungry." he lied roughly. Melody sighed and watched him go off sadly.

"Ok…" she whispered in reply. Temari watched this exchange and suddenly smiled. She could put two and two together, although her brother and Mel couldn't. She could tell that Gaara was feeling something, although she knew he had no idea what it was. That was why he was so frustrated. Mel was trying to send him subtle signals of her feelings, but thought he didn't care. Still, Temari could tell Melody Char would never give up. Not unless something bad really happened or he outright told her he didn't want her. The older sister felt her heart swell. Maybe this girl was exactly what her baby brother needed.

"Gaara's just stressed. But don't think he doesn't like your company. He stayed with you all night it seems. Don't worry, Mel." she said, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. Mel smiled at Temari and nodded.

"I know. I just wish… wish I could…" she sighed, shaking her head. Her short light brown hair flew. "Never mind." she whispered. She sat down and ate her eggs and toast silently, listening to Konkuro and Temari start to bicker. It was fifteen minutes later when she finished her breakfast that Gaara came in again. He looked directly at her.

"It's time." he said simply. Melody tilted her head, confused.

"Eh? Time for what? More sugar?" she asked, grinning. She couldn't help but quote her best friend. She missed Muffin too much not to. Besides, she had a feeling that sugar would be needed today. Call it her sixth sense. Everyone turned to give her a blank wtf stare. She shrugged. "What? Don't look at me like that. It's just a question, dammit." she muttered.

Gaara sighed. "No, it's not time for _sugar__,_ it's time for your ninja status fight." he told the pouting teenager. Melody blinked.

"Oh! Let me go grab Frankie and I'll be right outside." she grinned and raced to the couch. She skidded to a stop and reached under the couch. There! Cool wood signified her katana sheath. She tucked in under her sash, by her backside. She tightened her sash so to keep the katana tightened across her back. After nodding and jumping a few times to make sure of just that, she took off towards the door.

"See ya Temari! Konkuro!" she shouted and ran out the door. Instead of open air, she ran into someone. "Ouch, dammit! Why the hell do I keep doing that?!?!" she shouted, rubbing her bruised head. _First with Sasuke, then with the Akatsuki members and now with…. Hm, who with? _She looked up to see an annoyed Gaara. _And now with Gaara_, she finished that thought. She grinned. "Eh, gomen?" she offered. Gaara rolled his eyes.

"Come." he said and started walking. Melody rubbed the back of her head and followed.

"Eh, I don't know you that well…. And I mean, ya know, I don't think we're ready for that part of a relationship. Even though you snuck in with me to snuggle. Not that that's bad, I mean, snuggling is cool and all… Er, Gaara, are you okay? Your face is all red." Melody pointed out, poking his very red cheeks. Gaara shook his head.

"I'm fine. Let's go." he snapped. Mel winced and nodded. They started walking in silence. A lot of people bowed in respect for their Kazekage and sent questioning looks her way. Melody just smiled and waved happily. She noted a sugar stand and made a mental note to beg Gaara for some on the way back. Suddenly, they reached an area near the south side of the village with a small metal gate.

Training Area

Mel read. She nodded. She got herself ready, slowly tensing her muscle as to not alert Gaara. One thing that Itachi and Kisame had taught her was that surprise was your greatest element. If you were planning on winning then you had to have some tricks up your sleeve. Melody was ninety percent sure that he didn't expect her to just attack. She was sure he thought she'd wait until he'd gotten his bearings and said start. Fat chance.

Mel waited until they were a couple of yards away from the gate. Then, when she thought that they were far enough, she unsheathed Frank and took a smack at Gaara's left arm. Sand came up immediately to block the blow. Gaara's head snapped her way, eyes wide with surprise. Mel just smirked and jumped back, drawing Frankie from Gaara's sand.

"I didn't say go…" he muttered, turning towards her. Mel frowned.

"Do the badguy's wait until you say go when on a mission?" she countered and then kicked sand towards Gaara's face. Bad choice though, since he kinda controlled sand. He merely just made it fly backwards towards Mel's face. Melody closed her eyes to keep sand from getting in them. Sand knocked her back five feet. She landed on her ass, on a bush. "Ouch! Those things are scratchy!" Mel muttered but kept her attention on Gaara.

He stood there, arms crossed. Sand came up and started towards her. Melody thrust the wind at his sand, blowing it backwards. She twisted towards an scraggly cypress tree and sucked the water out of a nearby cactus. The water flew around her until she splashed it at Gaara, his sand still four feet behind him. Gaara immediately grew darker in color. He shed the mud, glaring.

"How did you know about that?" he snapped. Melody just smirked. Then roots shot out of the earth and grabbed hold of Gaara's ankles, holding him in place. Melody ran forth, drawing Frankie and tried a slash at Gaara's throat. Sand flew into her and knocked her backwards. It wrapped around her and squeezed lightly. She gasped. How had he _done_ that?!

"Your quick."

"Should be, I'm Kazekage. Got to learn to protect your village in all situations. So my speed should be quicker than yours." he said. Melody laughed and then sucked the water out of another cactus, making it wither. She splashed the sand that held her, making more mud. She dropped with the sudden weight. She got out of the mess, making an icky face.

"Yuck." she rolled her eyes and flung her arms to get rid of the excess mud. Gaara's eyes were narrowed. He made a hand sign and murmured something too low for her to hear. Sand suddenly charged from all around, forming walls all around her, blocking her view of more cacti or anything to help her. She cursed lowly. Sand slowly started closing in on her. Melody tried thinking of the possibilities. None would work. She sighed in defeat.

"I yield." she called out. The sand kept coming. Now a spark of fear flew through. "Gaara! I yield, dammit! Stop the sand." He wasn't listening. A low groan came from behind the sand walls. She was now crouching, the top layer almost a foot above her, the walls closing in. "GAARA-KUN!" she screamed, fear of death piercing through her. A hysteria gripped her heart and tears flew down her face.

* * *

"Sasuke, are you sure we should be up this close?" Juugo asked, hiding his tall figure within a bush.

The whited haired, teenaged swordsman pouted. "Yeah, I agree with Juugo! We shouldn't be up this close, but somewhere comfortable instead.. And as much as I like breaks and sitting around, the twigs in this bush are way too itchy!"

The red haired medic ninja rolled her eyes. "All bushes are itchy, fish brains! That's just how they are, you idiot!"

"Hey, at least I'm not completely useless." Suigetsu bit back, causing her to grow an anime vein.

The raven haired Uchiha sighed, before sending them an annoyed glare. "Hn, both of you, be quiet, I'm trying to think!" Sasuke took a deep, dramatic breath, before nodding slowly at the tall, orange haired ninja. "Yes, hn, I'm sure. Our target should be somewhere around here, hn.." Suddenly, the emo avenger heard yelling coming from a small distance..

"Gaara! I yield, dammit! Stop the sand!" It wasn't because the yelling caught the emo avenger's attention, but the familiar voice. "Gaara-kun!" Sasuke's eyes widened, before turning to his small team. "Come on, the target is north from here."

Suigetsu blinked, "You mean,like, where the shrill screams are coming from, right?" Sasuke sighed, thinking he was surrounded by idiots, before taking off in the direction of the screams.

* * *

Mel's POV

My gripping strong emotions made the tears lift off my face and fly around my head. My heart sped up, my head hurt. I gasped. Thoughts raced in my head. _I can't die. I have to save Gaara, thank Chiyo, help Naru-nii, be there for Muffin…! Oh my God, I CAN'T DIE NOW! NO! GAARA!_ Whimpers and sobs were escaping my mouth, tears flying from my eyes and whirling around the tiny space I had left.

Then suddenly, all the sand fell around me. I was curled into a ball, crying hysterically. What sanity I had left in my head realized we weren't going to die anymore, but the hysteria was still gripping my soul. I had nearly died… I could have died… Oh my God.

A voice echoed in my hollow ears. "Mel… I can't help you if you don't release me… Melody… Melody…" the voice was soft, calm, although with a hint of urgency. It reminded me of… Muffin. Well, not the tone, because it was deeper than Muffin's. But the reassurance in the tone sounded like Muffin. It sounded like whoever it was cared. My rational mind took action and slowly, through the hysteria, somehow released hold of the roots of the cypress.

Someone ran over, grabbing me and holding me in their arms. My eyes were squeezed shut, still trying not to see. _'What if I opened my eyes and saw that I was dead?' _The hysteria told me. Someone was calling my name. I think I was chanting something. I strained to hear myself. "No, no, no, no. I don't want to die…. No, no, no, no."

Through my strain I could hear the other voice too. "Melody, your safe. Your not going to die. Trust me, okay? Melody, _please_ open your eyes!" the voice was soothing. It coaxed me to open my eyes finally, which slipped slowly open. I was wary. I looked around for the crushing sand. There was none. The hysteria slipped away almost as silently as it'd come. I jumped to my feet, out of Gaara's secure arms.

I turned away, hiding the blush that had sprung to my cheeks. Gaara rose too. "I-I-I…" he stammered. I looked back at him, smiling.

"Hey, it-it's ok. Y-you didn't mean it, I know you didn't. Forget about apologizing. I'm fine, your fine. No need for an apology. Come on, we should clean up." I said, then paused. "Before we do though…" I trailed off, focusing on the soaked water from the cacti that was in the ground. I draw my hands up and the water followed the motion, 'falling' out of the ground. I moved my hands towards the cacti. The water flew and then rejoined it's earlier partner. The cacti looked better now, more lively. I nodded my head curtly. "There. That's better."

Gaara was just standing there, staring at me. I turned towards him, waiting patiently. Finally he snapped out of his daze to really look at me. "Who are you?" he managed. I smiled.

"You know who I am, silly." I said, rolling my eyes. Gaara was gone and then suddenly he was right in front of me. My eyes widened in surprise. He was… cue gulp, really close. My hands shook. He noticed this.

"Do you shake in fear of me?" he whispered. I shook my head, a small anger.

"Never in fear."

"Then why?"

"You…" I sighed. "I… can't explain it without either hurting you or myself until I'm sure. But it's not in fear, Gaara. I've never been afraid of you." I said.

"You were afraid with the sand-"

"No, I wasn't afraid of your sand. I have hysteria issues. I go into hysteria for three things. Needles, pure darkness and death. Right then? I was afraid of dying. Not you." I smiled at him. He frowned. I could already tell he didn't believe me. Either that or he didn't _want _to believe me. I sighed.

"You should be afraid of me." he snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. I shook my head.

"No, Gaara, I can't. I want to be with you. I want to help y-"

"No! Listen, you may not know this but I'm not a good person. Most of my life has been hell. I don't want you to know hell like I have. You're a good person, really. But if you stay around me, you'll experience hell from many of the villagers who still hate me." he told me tartly. He didn't want me around? I blinked and then shook my head lightly. He didn't understand me or my own hell. But then, nobody did… Not even Muffin.

I stood up on my tiptoes, brushed back his hair and kissed his love kanji. "Maybe that can explain to you more without me hurting either you or myself." I whispered and then was gone, trying to hold back tears.

* * *

Third Person POV

"Um, Sasuke, not that I mind or anything, but.. Isn't watching people without their notice called 'stalking'?" Suigetsu asked, picking his shark, shark like teeth, looking bored. Sasuke, not fully registering what the swordsman said, was more focused on the scene in front of him. _'Hn, what does the redhead think he's doing?! And with my Melody, hn! Wait.. __**My**__?' _Sasuke pursed his lips, annoyed at the feeling inside his chest, before averting his eyes from the red haired Kazekage and brunette to the swordsman.

"Hn, it's not stalking! I'm just.. Overlooking.. Not stalking.. Because she's one of our targets, hn!"

Juugo tapped his chin thoughtfully, before frowning. "Sasuke, I think we should leave now, before somebody in the village notices our unfamiliar chakras.."

Karin nodded in agreement, before fixing her glasses. "Juugo's right, Sasuke-kun. The target won't go anywhere for a while. We should wait a while before we confront her, and just observe from afar." Sasuke sighed, before he shook his head. He'd confront her another time.. The dark haired Uchiha straightened his shoulders, before nodding curtly.

"Hn, fine.." The raven haired turned around, giving the light brown haired teenager one last glance, before retreating in the opposite direction. Sasuke knew he had to give it some time.. Then he could proceed with his plans.

"You're mumbling under your breath, and I can hear you, you know." Suigetsu said, before folding his arms behind his head. He grinned sharkishly, giving the emo a triumph expression. Sasuke sighed, knowing that it was going to be a long day.

* * *

Gaara's POV

I couldn't move from my spot for a long time. She'd… she'd…. Why? Why had she done that to me? She'd said it would help explain. And then she'd… kissed my kanji. I realized my heart had sped up and I took some deep breaths to calm it.

My hand reached up to touch the spot where her lips had touched me. Why would she do that? It wasn't much of an explanation at all. I was still frustrated, confused. What the hell was she trying to tell me? Why not just tell me straightforward? I sighed and started walking. We'd only gone a few feet into the training area before she'd attacked. Which had surprised me, I thought she'd wait until I said start. Guess not.

In the village, everyone bowed respectfully to me. I asked a few of the storekeepers if they'd seen the girl I'd been walking with previously come by. I got lucky with one of them… but he was to angry about the sugar she'd stolen to really give me a general direction. I rolled my eyes at Mel's stupidity and paid for the single half pound bag of sugar.

Finally, I just gave up trying to find her. I headed home. Maybe Melody had gone there in the first place. When I reached home, Konkuro stood on the porch. He saw me and gave me a look.

"Konkuro, is something wrong?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Gaara, what do you think of Mel?" he asked, suddenly bringing up a topic I wasn't really ready to discuss. I needed to think more… try to understand. I shook my head.

"She's ok. She's gonna be a great ninja for Suna. She fights like a special chunin, maybe even jounin." I answered carefully, trying to get past him and into the house. Konkuro blocked me again, now somewhat glaring at me.

"Gaara, your killing me. I mean, how do you _feel_ about Melody? Cause, I think she's trying to figure that out on her own and failing. Your pushing her away, although you probably don't notice." Konkuro had his arms crossed over his chest. Never a good sign. It was a subtle sign that he was pissed. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"I don't know what your talking about. I don't even know _why_ your talking about this to me." I told him. Now Shukaku took this time to snort and say,

**Damn, petty insect, I thought you were smarter than this. The female you fought earlier and we almost killed - which I still say you should have done - has certain feelings towards you. She's trying to figure out if maybe you feel the same way. Unconsciously though, your pushing her away.**

I blinked at the voice. My demon rarely ever talked to me. Even more rarely in a civilized manner. And then it dawned on me. "Wait- Melody… has… has a-"

"Crush, yeah. Not just some fan girl crush either. Those stupid other fan girls just like you cause your Kazekage. Mel seems to like you for a different reason." Konkuro rolled his eyes. I just stared at him. How could I have not seen this? I hadn't even realized it because she didn't act like a fan girl. She seemed to care, I'd noticed this but I guess I'd just rejected love and persuaded myself it as respect. I was so stupid!

"Where is she?" I asked. Konkuro frowned and gave me a quizzical look.

"Why should I tell you? Last time I saw her, she was pretty down. She looked practically close to tears. What the hell did you say to her anyways?!" he asked, the last sentence angry. I flinched as Shukaku relayed my words back at me.

'**No! Listen, you may not know this but I'm not a good person. Most of my life has been hell. I don't want you to know hell like I have. You're a good person, really. But if you stay around me, you'll experience hell from many of the villagers who still hate me.' Your such fun when you get into dramatic events.** he laughed. I closed my eyes, squeezing them shut. I wish he'd just shut up again. I didn't like him talking to me.

"Gaara?" Konkuro's voice was concerned. He put a hand on my shoulder and I threw it off. I didn't want his pity. I hated pity. But I hated fear more… I sighed and opened my eyes again.

"Gomen." I said shortly. He nodded and put his hand on my shoulder again. This time I didn't flinch away.

"Sort it out, Gaara-nii. She likes you for you, which is more for a lot of people. And I like her too, to be honest." he laughed and then was gone. I nodded, then sighed. He still hadn't told me where Melody was…

* * *

Mel's POV

It was late when I finally returned. My eyes were sore from crying. I'd been hard playing the piano again, when the piano made me think of my mother so much. Before she'd left me and my drunk of a father. I sighed and tried to push the thoughts of my broken family away. I was here now, I didn't need to worry anymore.

But the piano had helped. Music always did. And as my friends had told me before, I was a beautiful musician. I opened the door to Gaara's house and walked inside. I quietly slipped out of my shoes and padded into the kitchen for a snack. I grabbed a cookie out of a jar and then headed towards my couch. I stopped short when I realized the light had blinked on and Gaara was sitting there with a hard look on his face.

His eyes met mine and I chewed my cookie slowly. I swallowed. "Nani?" I asked, taking another bite of my cookie. His eyes tightened as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Is that all you have to say?" he snapped angrily. I continued chewing slowly, hesitantly. "I've been worried about you all day!" he said as he stood up. I blinked and swallowed my cookie hard.

"You were… worried about me?" I whispered. A lump formed in my throat. Had he really been worried for me? I thought… I'd come to a conclusion… Gaara sighed. He walked over to me. Butterflies flew in my stomach. He stood in front of me, arms now at his sides. His fingers were twitching. What was bothering him?

"Worried sick. I was all around the village looking for you." he whispered back. I blinked again and then felt the tears creep in my eyes. Gaara looked hurt. "Don't… cry. Please, don't. I didn't mean to hurt you." he said, hand reaching up but falling to his side again. I smiled brokenly.

"You didn't hurt me, Gaara. It's not you. It's just… that was really nice of you. I didn't think you'd do that, is all. It's really sweet of you." I told him. I stepped forward and hugged him. His arms, really slowly, wrapped back around me. I dug my face into his shoulder, crying silently.

When I'd tried to run away back in my world, my father had never done anything. He hadn't called anybody asking for me, hadn't gone looking for me, hadn't even called the cops. He just let me run. But eventually I'd had to come back five days later, almost starved. My father had just gave me a look and said, "Only five days? I thought you could do better than that Melody."

But Gaara had been very worried apparently. As I'd walked back, a store person had told me the Kazekage needed me. And now what he'd told me. I felt… truly loved. Even if it wasn't real love, I knew he cared. And Muffin cared about me too. I had all I could ever ask for now. I was glad for the plushy suddenly. It had saved me.

Gaara was rubbing circles into my back, whispering soothing words. It just made me cry even more. My mother had used to do that… before she'd left. I dug my fingers into Gaara's back, wishing I could stay like this forever. But Gaara's hands were creeping away. This was probably very uncomfortable for him. I pulled away, wiping away the tears on my face with my arm.

Gaara let his hands loosely lie on my shoulders, trying to look into my eyes. "Do… you feel better now?" he asked carefully. I nodded, smiling up at him.

"Yeah. You made my day Gaara. Arigato." I told him. He smiled lightly too. Then he frowned. "What is it?" I asked, biting my lip.

"Why did you… kiss my kanji earlier? You said it might help explain… but I still don't get it." he murmured. I blinked, eyes widening. I'd forgotten I'd done that. Oh shit… he wanted me to tell him. I shivered and took a deep breath. I had to tell him… he'd already done so much for me. Wasn't it time I returned the kindness? I thought so.

"Gaara… I know about your past. About your Uncle… Shukaku… and the fight with Naruto and the Leaf. About your struggle to save Matsuri and how you almost lost control… how you saved Lee's life." I started. Gaara tensed, eyes widened in surprise. He gave me a look and started to open his mouth, but I put my finger to his lips to silence him. "And I want you to know… I've always been on your side. I was always rooting for you. My heart was always with you, worried or happy for you." I whispered. I released my fingers from his lips.

"Why?" he asked. I sighed, this was real hard.

"Because, Gaara-kun, I love you. I always have." I whispered. His eyes widened to their utmost fullest. I swear, my heart was hammering in my chest. I was nervous to his reaction. Suddenly, Gaara grabbed me and crashed his lips to mine. It was a little awkward at first, because this was both of our 'first kiss'. But then we both just kinda melted…

He pulled away, hand cupping my cheek. My hands had tangled into his hair. I blinked and stared into Gaara's smoldering eyes. He was staring back at me. It was kinda cliché but I didn't give a damn. I smiled suddenly and knocked my forehead against his. "I'll take that as a thank you then?" I whispered.

He smiled. "You can take that as an I love you too… I just hadn't realized it until now." He kissed my lips softly again. And then the moment was ruined the click of a camera and a flash of light. I froze and Gaara tensed. He turned his head, breaking the kiss, and glared darkly. I looked over in the direction, blushing madly.

Konkuro stood there, chuckling and holding a camera. I suddenly put a hand on Gaara's chest, eyes narrowed. "Allow me, please." I snarled lowly. Konkuro froze never having seen me, the seemingly sweet girl who was able to cook, like this. I crouched and smiled. Then I ran towards Konkuro and pinned him to the ground. I took out a sharpie from my pants pocket. It was ballerina pink.

Konkuro's eyes widened. "NOOO-" he started to scream, but sand curled around his mouth. It silenced him immediately. I grinned over my shoulder at Gaara.

"Arigato, Gaa-kun!" I called. He smiled and nodded acknowledgment. It was then I went to work, drawing the Magical Unicorns of Fate on his face and pink little ballerinas and stars and smilies on his skin. When I was finished, Konkuro was tearing. The sand crawled away from his mouth. More sand came and wrapped around my waist, tugging me backwards.

I pouted. "I can _walk._" I sighed. I received a chuckle. Konkuro sat up and looked at his arms.

"Oh Kami… TO THE SHOWER!" he shouted and ran like there was no tomorrow. I giggled and turned to Gaara. He smiled at me and I smiled back.

"Well, that was fun." I chuckled.

* * *

**Review please!!!**

**-Tears and Bittersweet  
**


	21. Chapter 20

**Bittersweet: (Enters the imaginary writer's room.) Hi! Bittersweet here,and just announcing that here's.. (Cue drum roll.) Chapter twenty! (Throws confetti,and starts dancing happily.**

**Naruto: (Blinks.) I don't see anything important about it,dattebayo!**

**Bittersweet: Uh.. You're in it,is it important now? **

**Naruto: What?! Really? Why didn't anybody tell me,dattebayo?!**

**Bittersweet: (Sweat drops.) But,besides that.. I hope you guys enjoy! We'd appreciate your feedback,so please,don't be afraid to tell us if you thought it sucked or if you really liked.. Or,um,loved.. (Winks.) The chapter,kay? Thank you,please enjoy chapter twenty of Why Us You Stupid Plushy! (Pants.) Wow,that was a mouth full..(Sweat drops.)**

* * *

"So.. The ones Orochimaru manipulated are ahead,un?"

"Don't you mean 'molested'?"Muffin mumbled under her breath,earning an annoyed glare from Deidara. The red haired Akatsuki member turned to the blonde haired artist,frowning.

"Yes,they are.. But do you think one bag is enough?"Sasori asked,raising a brow at Deidara's pouch full of clay.

"Don't worry,un. I came up with something new that should take him out,yeah.. I knew I had to be prepared because he is the one tails,after all,un."

A few yards away was a large gate,made of uneven layers of rock. A few ninjas stood there,patrolling and taking watch. A sand nin with a chunnin vest blinked in surprise,finally noticing the trio in the distance. "What's that?" He squinted his eyes,trying to make out their figures.. '_Looks like red clouds on black cloaks.. That's...!' _The ninja looked over his shoulder,noticing a jonin with a plastic piece covering his jaw. "Captain Yura!"The ninja exclaimed,blinking in surprise.

"Don't worry.. It'll all be over soon."He said with a glint in his eye,making the ninja peer at him strangely.

"C-Captain Yura? What are you talking abo-!"

A few yards away,Muffin frowned,thinking she heard something.. _Oh well,probably the wind,_Muffin thought. The uneven,layered gates of Suna opened accordingly. After they had opened,Muffin blinked at what she saw. "Whoa.."

Yura stood infront of a dozen lifeless bodies,expressionless. His vest was stained with blood,and had a full scratches around his body. The puppet Akatsuki member smirked,before nodding slowly. "Well done.. You still remembered me?"

The ninja captain nodded curtly,before responding,"Yes sir! Of course,Sasori-sama!"

Deidara wiped a small sweat coming from his brow,before sighing with relief. "It's a good thing your memories returned,yeah. Because if you had forgotten,I might've been required to blow you up,un." It wasn't that Deidara didn't want to blow things(Or people) up,it was just because he didn't want to alert everyone.. That would mean people would come rushing,and he'd have to use his clay. And if he used all of his clay by the time the one tailed container arrived.. Deidara shuddered,before pocketing his pouch. The tongues in his palms absorbed the clay,and started chewing it. "Alright then.." Saliva oozed from his palm's tongue,making Muffin cringe in disgust.

"Ew.." she said simply.

"Let's move out,un.."

* * *

Melody paced in Gaara's office. Today was the day Deidara and Sasori were supposed to show up. She was nervous, anxious, upset... whatever you wanted to call it. She wasn't in a happy mood. Gaara watched her from where he sat, a little worried. She'd even burned breakfast because of this insistent pacing. Melody glared at the ground. "Damn it..." she muttered.

Suddenly,a loud voice hollared above the light brown haired teenager,startling her. "Boo!" The puppet controlling Suna ninja snickered in result,making Gaara roll his eyes. "Oh come on,what's with the frown? Are you still mad about last night? Come on,Temari made me destroy all the copies,so don't pout!" Kankuro said,oblivious to the real reason of why she was in a bad mood.

Mel sent a glare his way. "Shut up." She snapped, but couldn't help the dark blush that spread across her cheeks. The memory of last night flashed across her memory, but it only made the knowledge of the future weight mor heavier on her heart. Tears glistened in her eyes for a second, before she pushed them back down. She crossed her arms over her chest and walked over to Gaara's desk. She sat down on it and sighed a long sigh.

"What's bothering you?"Gaara said,a bit concerned. She seemed more happier last night.. Well,until Kankuro came and ruined the mood. But the night ended with good humor.. (And a broken camera. )

Kankuro blinked. "Um,maybe you accidently had some of Temari's cooking?"

From the other room,a loud,female's voice called out,"I heard that,you know!"

Kankuro laughed nervously,making Gaara give him a small,annoyed glare. "Uh,yeah.. I'll be outside."

Mel rolled her eyes. But at a glance at Gaara's worried crystalline eyes, she sighed. "A lot of things are wrong." she murmured sadly. She looked out the window, at the dimming sky. Soon, it would be soon. She sighed again. "Damn, I hate this." She murmured.

Suddenly,the door slammed open. Three Sunagakure ninjas filed into the room,all wearing an idenitical expression. "Kazekage,the village is under attack!"

One of the ninjas nodded vigourously,before speaking,"It's those people with the red clouds on black cloaks.. The Akatsuki!"

Gaara narrowed his eyes,before standing up from his chair. He turned to Melody,giving her a frown. "I have to go.."

Mel narrowed her eyes, knowing her time had come. She threw the ninja out and closed the door with wind, glad she'd taken a pill this morning or that would have gotten out of hand. She crossed her arms over her chest. "No. Don't. Let the ninja take care of it. The Akastuki only want one thing Gaara, and you know damn well what it is." she snapped. Lightly, she touched his arm. "Please, don't go.... Don't try to be the hero for once." she whispered.

* * *

A few minutes before.. 

* * *

The blonde haired Akatsuki member and dark haired teenager sat on a small clay bird,a few hundred feet from the ground. Muffin felt sick,being so above from the ground.. Deidara clicked something on his eye gadget,before mumbling to himself. "One.. Two.. Three. Aha,un!" He adjusted it so that he could pinpoint the guards on the watchtower. "Three are skyguards,yeah.." Muffin blinked,wondering what were skyguards.. Deidara continued,the mouth in his palms chewing more clay,forming small,spider like creatures. "I guess I'll make a sneak attack here,un.." Deidara made a hand seal,grinning widely. "Kai!"

* * *

Meanwhile..

* * *

Gaara sighed. "It's.. My duty as kazekage. I'm the protector of the village.. I can't just ignore this and let innocent people die. I'm sorry." The red head took the teenager by surprise by giving a a small hug,before rushing out the door and disappearing down the halls. "Gaara, your wrong if you think I'm gonna let you do this!" She screamed and started to run after him, but was knocked unconscious by a hard sand fist and then gently laid down on his chair, wrapped up so to keep her still.

* * *

Suddenly,a big explosion took place,startling Muffin and the onlookers within a five mile radius. Muffin laughed nervously. "Er.. You're not planning on killing anybody though,right? Um.. Right?" Deidara ignored her as he continued letting his palms chew clay,making her sweat drop. Suddenly,a clay,spider like creature fell onto one of the Suna skyguards.

"What the.." He tried taking it off of his face,before he accidently tripped over his own feet. "This damn thing won't get off!"

Deidara,a few hundred feet above,smirked. He made the hand sign,before exclaiming,"Art.. Is a bang!" The spider exploded,the man's blood spattering all over his post.

Muffin's eyes widened,as she turned to the blonde haired artist. "No,bad Deidara! No blowing up random people!" Deidara rolled his eyes,before sighing. He had enough of this annoying girl. Smiling evilly,Deidara kicked Muffin in the shin. Muffin yelped,too absorbed in her knee's pain to notice what was happening. Deidara took this moment to elbow her into the gut,and thus the dark haired teen fell off the clay bird. "Oh,crap!"Muffin exclaimed,way too surprised to think clearly. Suddenly,sand engulfed her,making her blink. "Eh?" T

he sand neared a small building,before slowly dispersing. Muffin blinked,before glancing at the building located above her. A red haired Suna ninja stood tall,his arms folded across his chest. Gaara. Muffin laughed sheepishly. "Wow,thanks.." Deidara,having landed a few buildings away,blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

Gaara glared at Diedara, befor glancing at Muffin. "Get back." he said simply and then let his attention focus back on the threat at hand. Gaara's hand jerked forward,his sand flying north in Deidara's direction. Deidara's clay bird took off again,while Gaara followed on his sand,trailing close behind. Muffin blinked again,completely at lost at what just happened.. _Wait.. Melody! Where's Melody?_ Muffin whirled her head in various directions,before staring in the direction the two ninjas headed to. Melody went to Gaara.. So Gaara must know where she is,right? Muffin frowned,watching them fight,wondering how she was going to ask him..

While peering at him,she saw a famillar face: Kankuro. Muffin glanced down at the building she was on,wondering how she was going to get down.. Muffin shrugged,before walking to the nearest pipe. She saw this in all the movies,why wouldn't it work now? Muffin jumped onto the pipe,before sliding down.. Well,she slid down,but only six feet before the screws gave up. Muffin yelped as she fell five more feet,and fell onto the ground. "Ow.." Muffin shook her head,before running over to the kitty clad Suna ninja.

"Er,hey,dude!" Seeing that he didn't notice, Muffin used a different approach. "Hey,Kankuro!" He still didn't take notice,making he scowl. "Kitty clad dude!" Kankuro inclined his head to the dark haired teenager,wearing a scowl. "What?"

Muffin grinned. "Wow,it's funny how you only answer to that.. Hey,this is really urgent.. I need you to take me to Melody." Muffin silently hoped that he knew who she was,as she broke in nervous sweat.

* * *

Meanwhile....

* * *

"Er, I do believe that this is breaking and entering Sasuke..." Suigetsu said and Sasuke slipped in through the now broken window. Sasuke rolled his eyes and looked around._ There she was!_ Suigetsu and Karin followed closely behind the Uchiha, while Juugo stayed on the roof to look out for Suna citizens. Sasuke rolled his eyes,ignoring the comment. The raven haired Uchiha neared the office,staring intently at the light brown haired teen. This was his chance...

"So,how do you know Mel again?"Said a voice from a few feet away.

"Mel's my best friend,duh!"Said another voice that was famillar to the emo avenger. That was the other target; but Sasuke couldn't confront them yet, because of the third voice.

"Damn, hn.." Sasuke mumbled under his breath. Karin blinked in surprise,before turning to the dark haired Uchiha. "Sasuke-kun,we need to go now!" Sasuke sighed,before following the rest of his team out of the office,through the window.

Kankuro and Muffin entered the office,while they took in the surroundings. "Mel! Er,Mel,are you okay? You don't look so well.." Muffin exclaimed.

Kankuro rolled his eyes. "She's unconscious,and restrained by sand,of course she's not alright."

"Mghm..." Mel muttered and her hands twitched. "Mghm, mmh, gh..."

Kankuro sighed,before his hands formed a hand seal. "Release." He mumbled. A few moments later,the sand started to dissolve.

Muffin ran over to the light brown haired teenager's side,before shaking her left arm. "Hey,Mel,wake up! Er,do you think she needs sugar?"

Kankuro gave her a look,before he shook his head. Then he grinned evilly,an idea coming to mind. "Here,let me try.. Oi,Mel,Gaara's a few feet away,and er.. Um,shirtless?"

Muffin sweat dropped. "Is that even going to work?"

Mel's eyes twitched but nothing else. "Ugh..." she muttered and her hands formed fists. "Ngh..."

Suddenly,the door jerked open,with a chunnin filing through. "Kankuro! The kazekage got kidnapped!"

Mel's eyes jerked open and she jumped up, eyes wide. "No!" she shouted. Then she blinked. "Er... Muffin? What the hell?"

"Yay,you're awake!"Muffin said,before clapping her hands happily.

Kankuro sweat dropped. "Is she always like this?" he asked nobody in particular. Kankuro sighed,before turning to the ninja. "Do you have anything to track him with?"

The ninja shook his head,and frowned. "No,but we know that the Akatsuki member disappeared with his clay bird north west of here. Wait,you're seriously not thinking of going,aren't you? You'll die out there!"

Kankuro clenched his fist,before nodding vigourously. "We need to,he's my brother!"

The chunnin shook his head,"No,you'll be by yourself,you wouldn't be able to win!"

Mel stood up, smiled a hello to Muffin and then went to stand by Konkuro. "But he won't be alone. I'll be with him. I'm not going to let Die- those pesky Akatsuki members take Gaara!" Melody finished quickly. She grinned over at Muffin. "Want to tag along?" she asked happily, hoping her friend would say yes.

"Duh! I don't want to be left behind again." Muffin said,receiving a strange stare from Kankuro.

"Um,how well do you two know each other? You know what? That isn't important right now,we need to leave this exact moment if we're to catch up.." Muffin and Melody nodded,before following Kankuro out of the office,leaving a confused chunnin behind.

"But,Kankuro-san,wait! This is bad.." He sighed,before disappearing down the halls as well.

* * *

Meanwhile..

* * *

A blonde haired,fan wielding Suna ninja drank a cup of tea. Suddenly,the tea cup cracked,making Temari frown in result. "I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen.."

* * *

Kankuro, Melody and Muffin ran through the gates of the village,sand etched deeply into their shoes. Kankuro stopped,before narrowing his eyes at the sight in front of him. Gaara laid unconscious,slung over the shoulder of a blond haired Akatsuki member. Sasori, still in his scorpion armored puppet suit,frowned. "What are these brats doing here?"

Deidara scowled,before mumbling under his breath,"I thought I got rid of her,un.."

Melody grinned. "Can't get rid of us that easy. Now give Gaara back!" she shouted, fist raised. A soft wind blew at the Akatsuki, making their cloaks billow.

Sasori turned to Deidara, before nodding at the red head. "Take the container,I'll catch up with you shortly after I get rid of these brats.. I don't like keeping people waiting,after all."

Kankuro raised a brow,his frown deepening. "Hey,Gaara isn't going anywhere if I have a say in it!"

Mel sighed. "The fact is, you don't, Konkuro." she muttered and watched as Diedara flew off. She watched helplessly as her sugar buddy was whisked away to his death. This was bad. Konkuro's jaw clenched as he tried to send Crow after his little brother. He didn't get to,though,because the puppet turned to the two girls instead. It swung a punch at Melody,who dodged it narrowly,making Kankuro blink in surprise.

"Er,I didn't do that,I swear!" Kankuro sighed,before controlling his puppets to swing at the red haired puppetmaster. It caught on Sasori's cloak,and ripped a piece of cloth off,but otherwise didn't cause any damage.

Sasori chuckled,before shaking his head. "That is because I'm controlling them."

Kankuro blinked,confused. "B-But,how..?"

Sasori rolled his eyes,before whipping Kankuro with the point of his tail. A purple like substance entered his body, making Muffin cringe. "You cannot attack with a puppet made by its own puppet maker." Kankuro's eyes widened in surprise,his vision blurring. "That's how I know the puppet inside and out.. But I'm honored though,that my master pieces had been passed down to the younger generations. Luckily for you,your death should be quick." Sasori turned to the two teenaged girls,before raising his brow. "As for you two.. I'll leave you alone,on Pain's orders." And with that,the puppet master disappeared into the dunes of sand.

Muffin rubbed the back of her head nervously."Um,do you think kitty clad heard that last part?"

"Uhg.." Kankuro groaned,making Muffin sweat drop.

"I guess not.. Er,I think we should bring him to the infirmary.. And we should take the cloth,too,so that Kaka-sensei can track them down. Um,Mel,are you alright?"

Mel looked in the direction where Sasori and Deidara had walked/flew off. Her jaw was clenched painfully hard. Gaara.... please understand... she thought and then turned to Muffin. She nodded slowly. "Let's get him back. I'll pick up his arms and you pick up his feet." she said and bent down to grab Konkuro.

Muffin nodded,before grabbing his ankles. "It's okay,Mel,I'm sure that they'll understand and let us tail them.." About twenty minutes later,the two teenage girls returned to Sunagakure,with a unconscious kitty clad ninja in tow. A crowd of ninjas surrounded the three ninjas,all wearing frowns.

"Where's the kazekage?"One called.

"How did you fail to bring him back?"Called another.

Suddenly,more and more hollars were called,to the point that Muffin couldn't hear herself think. "Silence!" Said a loud,female voice. The owner of the voice made way through the crowd,and blinked at Kankuro. "Where is Gaara? And what happened to Kankuro?"

One of the chunnins frowned. "Temari-san,kazekage-sama is.."

Melody frowned. "They took him, Temari. And we couldn't get him back because Konkuro was poisoned by Sa- uh... some Akastuki member." Then she blinked. "Eh, how was the Chunin Exam thingy?" she asked as an after-thought, causing several ninjas to sweat drop. Temari clenched her fist.

"What ?! Why didn't anybody tell me?!" The ninjas laughed nervously,making Temari sigh. "The council just sent a messenger bird to Konohagakure. Reinforcements should arrive in a few days.. You two,take Kankuro to the hospital,I'm sure the nurses can heal him."She said,not knowing how serious the poison that effected her younger turned to Melody and Muffin,before raising a brow. "Um,Melody,who's this?"

Melody grinned. "This is Muffin, she's my bestest friend!" she said proudly, pointing to her dark haired friend. Muffin grinned,before waving.

"Yeah,I'm Muffin!"

Temari gave her a deadpanned expression. "Muffin?" Muffin ignored the look,and continued smiling. Suddenly,two tall ninja grabbed the teenage girls by the shoulders,and shackled them.

Temari blinked. "What's the meaning of this?"She exclaimed.

A jonin narrowed his eyes on the two teenagers,before turning to Temari. "They're being arrested of suspicion of knowing the Akatsuki,by orders of the council."

Temari frowned,"They can't do this!"

The jounin shrugged,"Since Kazekage-sama isn't here,they're automatically in charge.."

Temari scowled. "But there's no evidence of them being spies!"

He frowned. "Well,isn't it suspicious that the first girl arrived two days before the attack? And that one arrived during it? I'm sorry Temari-san,but they're guilty until proven innocent." After saying that,the two,tall ninjas shoved them through the crowds and towards the direction of the prison.

Muffin blinked. "Er.. What just happened?"

Mel was purely just pissed off. "Let me go! I'm no spy! Neither is Muffin! Temari do something! LET ME GO!" she started screaming and kicking.

The jounin sighed. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything and everything you say _will _be used against you."

Muffin sweat dropped, before nodding in agreement with her friend. "Yeah,what Mel said!"

Temari couldn't see them through the crowd of people,but watched as the tall ninjas disappeared in the crowd.

* * *

A certain blonde haired ninja slammed his fist down on the hokage's desk. "What do you mean Gaara got kidnapped,dattebayo?!"

Tsunade rubbed her forhead's temples with an annoyed expression,before scowling at Naruto. "Shut up,brat! Yes,we got a memo that the Kazekage was kidnapped."

Naruto scowled at the age blond haired Hokage,before folding his arms across his chest. "When was this, dattebayo?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

A pink haired kunoichi sweat dropped,before head locking the blond teen,and putting on a fake smile. She laughed nervously. "Okay,Tsunade-sama,we'll leave immediately!" Inner Sakura was breaking in nervous sweat,_ 'Doesn't he know how she is when she's mad?!' _

After team seven had left the office a few minutes later,the blond haired Hokage sighed. "I'm getting too old for this.."

* * *

Muffin and Melody were being pushed into a dark underground chamber. Muffin shuddered. "I don't think the unicorns have been here before..." she whispered to Melody, causing the guards to sweatdrop and question the girl's sanity. Melody nodded.

"This place gives me the creeps..." she agreed. Her eyes flashed around, glad for the few flickering flames that gave this place a gloomy light. But light none the less. She wouldn't be able to survive down here if it was completely dark. She sighed.

The jounin followed the two guards in,and watched as they slid the jail cell's door closed. The unfamillar jounin stood infront of the cell,blocking off half of the room's light. He narrowed his eyes on the young teenagers. "You're detained under the suspicion of being spies,and possibly aiding the Akatsuki into kidnapping the kazekage. Nothing will be entirely clear with out the kazekage and his older brother to clear is up."

"But we didn't help the Akastuki and we aren't spies, dammit!" Mel snapped. She was angry that all this had happened. She couldn't save Gaara, she couldn't help Konkuro and now she probably wouldn't get to thank Chiyo! This was all horrible. Mel sulked. The three ninjas ignored the outburst from the light brown haired girl,and exited the prison room. They closed the air tight door with a loud slam,making Muffin cringe. She laughed nervously.

"Er,don't worry Mel! Everything will work out in the end..I think." Melody sent her a look,making Muffin smile sheepishly. "Sorry,not helping."

* * *

A few hours later..

* * *

"Okay,I need some cloths and a basin of water." Sakura announced,hovering over the dark haired puppet controlling Suna ninja.

Temari,now concerned for her brother because she now knew how preciding the situation actually was,frowned. She turned to the ninjas beside her,and narrowed her sharp eyes. "Well,you heard the medic nin! A piece of cloth and a basin of water!"

Naruto watched the ninjas scramble out of the room to get the supplies. "Ne,Kakashi-sensei,what can we do to help,dattebayo?"

The silver haired jonin,too absorbed in his book to unglue his eyes from the page,shrugged. "We can only help them by staying out of the way and wait."

A male special jonin,who had been standing there,over heard the conversation,before frowning. "Actually,there is something you can do.."

Naruto grinned. "Yes, dattebayo! So what is it? Helping Sakura-chan by getting herbs? Or how about-" He started excitedly. the jonin sweatdropped and then said,

"Actually, we were wondering if you'd interview the two suspected spies of helping assist the Akatsuki kidnap the Kazekage. They're in cell 47. We just need some questions answered for the record you know... before the Kazekage get's back and decides their fate or Konkuro gets better and tells us what he knows." The jounin explained. He rose a brow and held out a clipboard. He did want to go near the crazy girls, so why not send the idiot blond ninja from the Leaf who wanted to help? It all worked out in the end... "What do you say?" he asked, smiling lightly.

"Sure thing, dattebayo! Anything to help Gaara!" Naruto said,his eyes turning from his excited mood into false determination. Kakashi sweat dropped,having an idea of what was going. An aged woman with gray dimples on her cheek stood up tiredly.

"I'm coming,too."

Kakashi raised a brow. "To help?"

She shook her head. "No,so I can see how bad Suna has gotten! Back in my day,you needed a visa to enter Suna,but now they let just about anyone in!"She laughed loudly,looking senile,making everybody in the room sweat drop.

"Chiyo,are you sure that's such a good idea?"Her aged brother asked,making her snort.

"Don't worry about me,brother! Now,lead on to the cell.."

The jounin nodded and smiled sincerely, glad that he wasn't going to be interviewing the teenagers. "Follow me." he said and led them through the town and then down a door into the musky underground. He stood by the guards. "Number fourty seven.... good luck, you'll need it." he muttered the last part.

Melody blinked. "Eh, Muffin, I think people are coming..." she told her friend. They were playing Rummy with some cards Muffin had made appear out of nowhere.

Muffin pouted. "Aw,but I was about to lay my cards down in melds!" She whined. She blinked,"Er,you don't think Suna people know how to play,do you?" The air tight door slammed open,before revealing a few familiar looking faces.

Mel looked up, surprised. "Eh, Naruto?" she asked, head tilted. Then she shut her mouth quickly. Woops, she wasn't supposed to know his name! _Ergh, excuse, excuse, think of a damn excuse!! _Mel thought to herself.

The blonde haired teenager blinked. "Whoa,you know my name? Do I know you,dattebayo?"

Melody shook her head quickly,before speaking out the only thing that came to mind; "Er.. Gaara told me about you! That's,um,exactly how I know your name.."

Muffin nodded in agreement,not entirely sure of what she was talking about. Naruto coughed,before he got serious. He narrowed his eyes,frowning. "You guys know about the people that took Gaara. I demand you to tell me where they are,dattebayo! And you better tell me! If you don't,I'll beat it outta've ya,dattebayo!"

Melody grinned. "Okay,sure."

Naruto blinked." Sure,as in 'I'm going to say sure,and then attack you from behind' sure?"

Melody rolled her eyes, "No,I meant I'll help you."

Naruto fell anime style. "Oh.. I knew that,dattebayo! Heh,heh.. Wait,you know Gaara? Aren't you guys the spies or something,dattebayo?" Before the teenagers could answer,the jounin spoke,his eyes narrowed.

"I think we should start the interview now!"

Mel glared at him, her happiness gone. "Shut it, I'm talking to my idol!" she snapped. Then she turned back to Naruto and grinned. "Yeah! I know Gaara-kun very well. Even ask Konkuro... er, when he's well again that is... How is he doing?" she whispered, concerned for the kitty clad Suna puppet master.

"He should be fine." Kakashi said, his eyes never leaving the pages of his book. Naruto nodded,before pulling out a chair that the two teens didn't notice he had before.

"Okay,dattebayo! Er,what's the first question of the clipboard?" Naruto squinted his eyes,but couldn't read it well,especially in the dark.

"I believe it says 'What are the suspected spies names'?" Kakashi said,his nose buried into his book. Muffin wondered how he knew that if he never averted his eyes from the page.

"Yeah,dattebayo! What's your names? My name is Uzumaki Naruto,and I'm going to be hokage,dattebayo!" He pumped a fist in the air,dropping the clip board,before accidently stumbling backwards off the chair. "I meant to do that,dattebayo.." The jounin sweat dropped, having second thoughts on letting the blond interview them.

Melody chuckled. "Yeah, I know. I'm Melody Char and I'm.... kinda bored." she said, shrugging. She watched Naruto sit back up and then grinned at Muffin with a look that said, '_It's Naruto! It's Naruto-nii! Can you believe this!?'_ Muffin nodded vigorously,having an identical wide, energetic grin.

"And I'm Muffin! I like sugar!" Kakashi,the jounin, Chiyo, and Naruto sweat dropped,

"..." Naruto blinked,before tilting his head,confused. "Muffin?"

She scowled,before nodding vigorously. "Yes,Muffin. Hey,Naru,can I ask you a question?"

The blonde haired teenager shrugged,before nodding. "Shoot,dattebayo."

Muffin grinned."Do you believe in unicorns?"

The jonin sighed,before shaking his head. "Enough of this nonsense,and just read the next question.."

Melody glared at the jounin. "I said shut it!" she snapped, before blowing him backwards a few feet. "Stupid jounin, I knew I didn't like since the moment he pushed me down here..." she muttered. Then she sighed. "Now, do you? I do."

Naruto shrugged. "Yeah sure, dattebayo! I like ramen though! Do you?"

Mel grinned again. "Hell yeah!" she said happily. "I live off the stuff! Only... not lately. Suna doesn't have any good ramen..." she pouted. Naruto hugged the light brown haired teenager's leg,before crying anime tears. Well,not all of her leg,because the cell restricted him from doing so.

"Finally,somebody that understands,dattebayo!" The jonin coughed loudly,making Naruto laugh nervously. "Oops.. Sorry,dattebayo. Er,next question.. How old are you guys,and when's your birth date?"

Muffin blinked. "October 10,1994." Muffin grinned goofily. "I just turned sixteen." She nodded happily.

Naruto blinked. "Whoa,that's my birthday too,dattebayo! What about you,Mel?"

Melody tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Um... June 16th, 1994. I'll turn sixteen soon though, Naruto-nii." she nodded.

Naruto nodded,before writing it slowly on the clipboard. He blinked. "Er,how do you spell October,dattebayo?"

Kakashi sweat dropped. "Isn't that the month you were born,Naruto?"

Naruto scowled. "Shut up,Kakashi-sensei! So,how do you spell it?"

Muffin grinned,"O-C-T-O-B-E-"

"Enough! Just ask the next question!" The jounin said,getting annoyed.

"But.. What about the question thing?"Naruto asked,blinking.

The jonin sighed. "I'll edit it later,just ask the next question.."

Mel glared at the jounin. "I thought I blew you away... Heh heh, that sounded different than the way I meant it." she chuckled and then rolled her head. "So, Naruto-nii, what's the next question?"

"It says.. Er.. That does say village,doesn't it,dattebayo?" Naruto blinked,before laughing nervously at the jounin's anime vein that was throbbing on his forehead. "Er,yeah,it does! Heh, heh... It says what is the name of your original village?"

Muffin blinked. "Um.. Los Angeles,California?" Melody elbowed her,making Muffin laugh sheepishly herself. "I mean,uh.. We're travellers,and were born in a small no name village?" Muffin said,half hoping that they'll buy it.

"Oh,okay,dattebayo!"Naruto said,oblivious to the jounin who face palmed his forhead.

Chiyo grinned. "This is better then cable!"

Melody blinked, having for the first time noticed the elder woman. She got up and smiled at Chiyo. "Eh, Chiyo-san, I er... just want to say... thank you for the future." Mel said, rubbing the back of her head nervously, half hoping she didn't sound nuts and the other half knowing she sounded nuts.

Chiyo blinked. "Eh? Child,I'm old and wearing out the rest of my days,there's no future left for me!"She said,grinning toothily,oblivious to what she really meant.

Muffin coughed loudly,noticing her friend was uncomfortable. "Hey,Naruto,any more questions? Perferably 'bout sugar,but what ever floats your boat."

Naruto shrugged,before flipping the page. "There's a few more questions,dattebayo! Ne,no offense,but these questions are kinda boring!"Naruto whined.

The jounin glared,annoyed. "Just finish them."He snapped.

Naruto pouted."Fine,fine,dattebayo. It says Melody has a knowledge of ninja abilities,and it askes if Muffin knows any and where you learned it from."

"Dude, so many big words..." Melody muttered to her friend. "Did you understand any of that?" she whispered, kinda loudly. Muffin shook her head.

"Nope! But let's pretend like we do,before that angry looking jonin dude gets his panties in a wad.." Muffin shook her head. "No,I don't. I completely fail as a ninja. Epic fail." Muffin nodded happily. "Mel learned her ninja abilities from.. Er.. Travelling. Yes,er,travelling. She has had many senseis and mentors,that,um,taught her new tricks?" To an extent, it was true. Watching Naruto,you watch various ninjas perform different techniques.. So it wasn't a complete lie.

Naruto nodded,before writing it down. "Okay,dattebayo,this one askes if you-" Suddenly,the door slammed open. It revealed a pink haired medic ninja and a dark haired puppet controlling nin, with a worried Temari following close behind.

"You shouldn't overwork yourself too much and just let your body rest and heal!"Sakura called.

Temari nodded. "Kankuro,she's right,you shouldn't do tha.. What's the runt doing here?"

Naruto scowled. "I ain't a runt,dattebayo!"

Sakura fixed her black gloves, before smiling. "Well, I already collected some herbs that can be used as an antidote for the posion if that is to happen again."

Kakashi raised a brow. "So,we're ready to go?"

Sakura nodded. Naruto turned to the two teenaged girls,before grinning goofily. "It was nice meeting you,dattebayo!"

The jounin sighed."You're not supposed to talk to the enemy like she's your friend.."

Naruto didn't catch that,though,and waved. "See you later! 'Cause right now,I'm going to bring back Gaara,dattebayo!" Naruto rushed out of the room,followed by Kakashi,Chiyo,and Sakura. The jounin sighed,before picking up the clipboard the blond had discarded.

"I'm sorry Temari-san,Kankuro-san,but we need to go. I only have authorization to let that blonde kid in. Besides,I need to question Kankuro about some things."

Melody waved. "Bye Naruto-nii!" she laughed. Then her gaze snapped to Konkuro. She rushed to the bars. "Konku-san! How are you! You should be resting dammit! If you strain your body, then you'll get even more ill. And Gaara wont be too happy about that when he finds out." Mel said, nodding her head. "Now, tell the mean jounin that we're innocent!"

Kankuro nodded,before turning to the ninja and saying the exact words Melody had told him to say. "They're innocent!"

The jounin sweat dropped. "Well, what exactly happened?"

Kankuro shrugged. "Well,Gaara,Mel,and I were in his office,and I left a few minutes before Suna was attacked. After it was,Gaara came out of nowhere,and started fighting him. Then that Muffin girl came and demanded to be taken to Melody. So we found her unconscious in the room,restrained by sand. I released her,and we all went to tail Gaara. I fought Sasori,but I fell unconscious.." Kankuro breathed deeply,before frowning. "Wow,that was a mouth full."

The jonin raised a brow. "Why would kazekage-sama retrain her with her sand? What if he realized she was betraying him? Why would he restrain her the exact moment Suna was attacked,hm?"

"Because I wanted to stop him! He was exactly what the Akatsuki was after because of the one-tail!" Melody answered angrily, causing the ground to shake. Mel stood up and gripped the bars. "You suspicious bastard, I would never hurt Gaara-kun!" she shouted.

The jounin rose a brow. "How do we know what you say is the truth? Nobody was there with you in Gaara's office when this happened. You could be lying to us." he snapped. Mel's jaw clamped together in anger and fury washed through her heart. Her hands clenched uselessly at the prison bars. She wished desperately she had some of her meds.... "I apologize, but we cannot take any more action." The jonin said,before shooing the Suna siblings through the door. "Do not worry,hopefully it'll only be another few more days."The jonin said.

Kankuro blinked,before sighed. "But what if Gaara doesn't.. Doesn't come back?"

The jonin shrugged,"Then they will stay here until they get a trial. It can take anywhere between a week and six months. Then the council could decide weither to let them go or to be jailed for life." He said,before pushing a frowning Temari and Kankuro through the door. He turned to the two teenaged girls,raising a brow. "Supper will arrive in a few hours." The door slammed closed, making some of the dust on the ceiling crumble and fall.

Muffin blinked. "Er.. What now?"

Mel pouted and fell on the ground, arms crossed. She dug into her pocket, glad to find a pill stashed there. She faked a yawn and swallowed the pill, glad that her emotions calmed down instantly. She sighed. "Dude, this is really sad, but I'd rather be with Sasuke right now!" Muffin's eyes widened.

"?!" The dark haired teenager suddenly made a bag of sugar appear out of nowhere,before placing it in her arms. "Dude,you need this more then I do!" Muffin blinked when she saw the serious expression on her friend's face. "Really? Er,so you can poke fun at his buttbow?"

"Yeah, I guess, it'd be better than sitting in a jail cell!" she snapped. Then frowned. "Eh, Sasuke, you stalker, if your around, spring us!" she shouted. Nothing responded. "Damn." she muttered Muffin sweat dropped.

"Be careful Mel,the unicorns are in charge of the emos too,you know!" Melody rolled her eyes. Muffin wiped a bead of sweat from her brow,before grinning goofily. "Sorry,I thought you were actually serious! Thank the unicorns.. Er,when do you think we'll get out of here?"

Melody sighed,before running her fingers through her hair. "Hell if I know.."

* * *

Meanwhile..

* * *

"You sick bastard,bring Gaara back,dattebayo!"Naruto shouted,trailing a grinning Deidara,who held Gaara's body on his clay bird as bait.

"Angry,un?"

Kakashi frowned,before stopping Naruto with his hand. "Stop,Naruto. Getting mad won't help him." Kakashi pulled up his Konoha headband,revealing his Sharingan. "Get back,Naruto.."

* * *

About a thousand kilometers away,a blue skinned Akatsuki member grinned sharkishly. "You worried about them,Itachi?"

Itachi looked at his partner. "Who?" he asked.

"About those two teenaged girls."Kisame answered. Since Tobi and Zetsu left a few days a ago,and Kakuzu and Hidan left the night Melody disappeared for a mission in Kumo,and Deidara,Sasori,and Muffin left the day before yesturday,the entire Akatsuki base was silent. (Although,Kisame noted that Pain's room was oddly quiet in general for the past few days.)

Itachi nodded. "Yes, I do worry about them. Diedara said nothing about Muffin, so it appears she's disappeared too. But..." Itachi fell silent and a small smile appeared on his usually stoic face. "I think that they'll be ok." he finished quietly.

* * *

"Er,do you have a five?" Muffin asked,holding a deck of cards.

Melody shook her head. "Nope,goldfish.." Melody silently hoped that Gaara would return soon.. Because A), she was woried. And B), she was completely bored out of her mind. Melody sighed. "Do you have an ace?"

* * *

About a hundred kilometers away, a pink haired ninja towered over the red haired kazekage. She shook her head sadly,her expression turning grim. "I-I.. I'm sorry,Naruto."

The blonde haired teenager felt the salt water leak from his eyes,before he ran over to the red haired kazekage's side. "Gaara,wake up,dammit! Wake up!"

* * *

A few hundred kilometers outside Suna, a raven haired Uchiha finally sneezed. Karin fixed her eyes on Sasuke. "Are you sure your not getting a cold, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, a little worried. He'd been sneezing a lot lately.

Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "No, I guess he's just a real good conversation subject lately." he nodded.

"Shut up, hn! Nobody is talking about me.."Sasuke mumbled under his breath. He shuddered when he remembered his 'Sasuke fan club' back home. Now he really didn't want to know who was talking about him. "..."

* * *

"Gaara,you're alive!"Naruto exclaimed. The red haired kazekage blinked, a surprised look on his face. He was completely speechless. Naruto grinned,before turning to the aged Suna woman. "Wow,thank you,old healing lady,I.. Er,wow,she's that tired? Must be from all the work she put into that jutsu,dattebayo!" Sakura slowly shook her head,tears falling down her face.

"No, Naruto, she's.. She's dead."

Naruto blinked. "W-What?"

Konkuro nodded,before walking over to the lifeless elder. "Yes,that was Chiyo-sama's forbidden jutsu.. In order to save Gaara's life,she had to use her own."

Naruto blinked. "...."

* * *

Melody huffed. "Damn, you win again! Your really good at this game, you know." Melody said, dropping her last few cards; a Jack, Queen and King. She passed over the last of her sugar, frowning. "Are you sure this is how you play poker?" she asked.

Muffin nodded innocently. "Of course, Mel! How else could a person play poker?" Muffin smiled evilly,her mouth hidden by her cards. Inside her sleeves was more then half of the deck's good cards. Muffin coughed awkwardly. "So,er,wanna play again?"

Melody shrugged. "Eh, sure, why not? It's not like we get to do anything else in this pit!" she laughed.

Muffin grinned,before shuffling the deck of cards. "So,when do you think Naruto and Gaara are going to come back?"Muffin asked,pouting. She was as bored as Melody. Melody shrugged. "Maybe the unicorns will break us out of our jail cell?" Muffin asked hopefully,because she did not want to be here more then she needed to.

Mel sighed and scratched her head. _Damn, it better be soon... I'm so fuckin bored!_ Melody nodded. "Yeah, the unicorns know best! They rule the universe.... Hm, do you think the plushy was a unicorn spy?" she asked randomly.

Muffin nodded vigorously. "Duh! Why else would a rainbow plsuhy bring us here and give us super duper powers?" Muffin grinned when she realized she had a royal flush. "Checkmate!"Muffin exclaimed. Then she blinked. "Wait,isn't that for chess? Oops.. Oh well!"

"Eh, I understood. Dude, what's taking them so long?!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest. A grumpy expression flitted over her face.

"..Taking who so long?" said a voice from the door. The red haired kazekage,the blonde haired teen,the pink haired medic,and Gaara's two older siblings stood in the doorway.

"We're back,dattebayo!"

Temari nodded. "After we got Gaara back,after we told him what happened,he rushed over here."

Mel grinned and jumped up. "You, silly! We were wondering how long it'd take you to get back? So, how was the afterlife? Was it.... nani? Why are you looking at me like that?" Melody said, looking at all the blank stares she was getting.

Muffin laughed nervously. "Er.. Mel is just, um, psychic, that's how she knows alot of things!" Muffin nodded vigorously.

Naruto blinked,"Whoa,really,dattebayo? Tell me my future!"

Melody tapped her chin,before grinning widely. "You're going to become hokage!"

Naruto's eyes widened,before pointing to the light brown haired teen. "Whoa! She's good,dattebayo!"

Kankuro rolled his eyes,"..."

Mel shook her head. "Actually, we could hear pretty well what goes on on the surface world. Rocks made good conductors!" she clapped her hands happily. Then she put on a serious face. "Now let me out. I have to go pee." Gaara's face turned red,before he nodded at the cell. Kankuro shrugged,before taking the keys and opening the jail cell. The bar door slid open,before the two teenaged girls exited the cell. Mel started to run. "**_BATHROOM_**!" she shouted and ran out the door.

Naruto sweat dropped. "Is she always that eccentric, dattebayo?" he whispered to Muffin.

Muffin nodded happily. "Yep! But don't worry,you get used to it!"

The blond haired ninja gave her a dead panned expression. "..."

As the group of ninjs exited the jail cell,Muffin frowned. "Er,what happens now? Is there a trial with the council? Paperwork to be done? Anything?"

Temari shook her head. "No,the questions the runt asked you was enough for the council. Although they were a bit confused about your name.. Anyway,the point is no,there's nothing that needs to be done."

Melody came back a few minutes later and met them outside the dark musky jail place. "So, like, what do we do now?" she asked them, still kinda bored.

Naruto tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well, granny said that we didn't need to go back to Konoha until another few days,dattebayo.. So we should do something!"

Sakura raised a brow. "Like what?"

Naruto shrugged,before grinning widely. "We should get ramen,dattebayo!"

Kankuro's eyes widened,before shaking his head quickly. "Sorry,there's somewhere I need to be. Later." He quickly fled, making everybody sweat drop.

Temari nodded,before pointing at her younger sibling. "Uh.. What was that,Kankuro? You need me? Coming!" She ran off before Gaara could blink.

Naruto shrugged. "Well,I guess it's just us,dattebayo!"

Melody grinned. "Okay, but let me grab my bag first." she laughed and then blinked as an idea hit her. "Actually..." she started and grinned. "Muffin can you pop me my bag?" she asked, blinking. "Pleeeease?" she begged.

Naruto blinked,"Er,pop,dattebayo?"

Muffin shrugged. "Yeah,sure,why not?" Muffin rubbed her temples,before she tried to think hard. (Which was a task in itself for the dark haired teenager.) Suddenly,the bag appeared out of nowhere,in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto blinked. "Eh,how did she do that?"

Melody grinned and grabbed the bag before it fell to the dusty ground. "Thanks, Muffin-chan." she said happily before patting the bag. She put it over her shoulders happily.

Suddenly, a Suna ninja came up. "Leaf Nin?" he asked. Naruto blinked.

"Er,yeah,that's me,dattebayo! What's up?"He said informally, making the Suna ninja sweat drop.

"You are your teammates, there is another Leaf nin here to see you. At the gates." he said and then poofed away.

Mel blinked. "Woah, I want to learn how to do that!" she said, jumping up and down excitedly.

Gaara chuckled and gave the light haired girl a small smile. "Don't worry,you'll be able to do that with time."

The pink haired medic ninja shrugged,before nodding at the blond haired teenager. "I guess we should go see who that is, huh?" The group nodded,before heading in the direction of the gates.

* * *

Meanwhile....

* * *

Kakuzu sat on the branch of a tree, caculating his money via caculator, because he didn't bring his money with him. He didn't want to ruin his money if it were to rain,after all. Well,the money he had left. Those stupid brats destroyed most of his life savings. Kakuzu sat in a tree right near their room. They had just got back from their mission in Kumogakure, after all. He was stacking them outside because he was too hot,and he didn't want to pay for A/C.

Suddenly, the lights in the room turned on. Kakuzu narrowed his eyes,before stopping his money managing. "Hidan.. Where the hell are you going in this god forsaken hour?! When you turn on the lights,it runs up the electric bill!"

The silver haired Jashinist smirked,holding a large straw hat in hand. "I'm fucking getting a damn scrifice,so calm the fuck down. You fuckin' know that those damn bitches can't resist my hoe hat, you dumbass!" Kakuzu snorted, before rolling his eyes. After Hidan turned around, he noticed that his hat... was... _missing_? Hidan's smile faded as he grew an anime vein. "Who the _fuck _stole my damn pimpin' hoe hat?!"

* * *

**Bittersweet: Hope you enjoyed,and thanks for reading! (Waves.)**


	22. Chapter 21

**Bittersweet: (Grins.) Hola! It's me again,Bittersweet. (Waves.)**

**Sasuke: (Sighs.) Crap,hn..**

**Bittersweet: (Scowls.) Be quiet,Emosuke! (Suddenly puts on a grin again.) Here is chapter twenty one! I hope you guys enjoy,Tears took a long time editing and rewriting some parts. We'd like to listen to your feedback,too! (I think I already mentioned that..) But seriously,we do! Right,Emosuke? (Cue awkward silence and the sound of crickets.) ... **

**(Sweat drops.) Also,readers,what was your favorite scene in the story so far? We'd like to know. Anyways, please enjoy chapter twenty and review!(Waves.)**

**Sasuke: (Rolls his eyes.) Hn,here's the disclaimer: Fortunately for me,the authors don't own Naruto,hn. (Wipes a bead of sweat from his brow.) But they do own Melody and Muffin,hn. (Smirks.) Suckers,hn.. (Ignores the glares from said characters.) Onward to the story,hn.**

* * *

Muffin blinked, everything around her suddenly turning pitch black. "Er,who turned out the lights?" she asked. The blond haired ninja sweat dropped, before tilting the pitch black darkness. Wait, tilted? "Oh, that's better, thanks!" Muffin said, grinning.

Naruto blinked, his eyes widening. "Wait... That's the type of hats the Akatsuki has, dattebayo!"

Muffin suddenly felt awkward and gripped the edge of her straw hat. She smiled goofily, tilting the hat in a vertical angle, "Er,what do you mean? Uh... Yo pimps, what's up?"

Melody quirked a smile at Muffin-chan. "Pimps? Since when did we become pimps?" She asked, chuckling. Naruto frowned and that just made Melody laugh again. He looked so cute when he was so very confused.

"Er... Since we got these pimping cool hats...Duh! Uh.. All coolio people have mysterious hats, _duh_!"Muffin waved her hands in the air, to empathize her point. Melody laughed too and tipped her hat back.

"Don't worry nii-san, we aren't really in the Akastuki. We just decided to steal their hats!" She told him in a whisper before winking. Naruto grinned widely at what she called him... _'Nii-san? The only person that calls me that is Konohamaru,dattebayo..'_ Naruto thought to himself. Gaara rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. Melody stuck her tongue out at him in return.

Muffin-chan crossed her arms and pouted,"This is so unfair! I had to leave Dei-kun all alone without sugar and- Shika-kun!" Muffin-chan latched onto the lazy chunnin faster than a blink of a eye.

Naruto blinked, "...I never figured her to like the lazy type, dattebayo.."

Melody laughed. "Over him that soon? Well, at least you had your nice tea parties to remember, iie?" she laughed at Muffin-chan. Then she turned her head back towards Naruto. "Actually, Muffin-chan does seem to like the lazy type. Dei-chan was pretty lazy, so it makes sense."

Naruto blinked. "Who's Dei-chan dattebayo?"

Mel laughed again nervously and quickly turned to Shikamaru. "Good luck getting her off of you." She warned.

"Temari isn't going to like this." Gaara muttered.

Shikamaru sighed, "How troublesome..."

Muffin-chan made a face at the strange boy who resembled a panda. "He isn't complaining!" Shikamaru was one of Muffin's favorite characters, of course she would want to squeeze him to death! She would do so to Naruto, too, but she didn't want to risk any chances of NaruSaku not happening...

Naruto snickered. "It's because he doesn't have the energy to."

Melody laughed too and gave Naruto a side hug. "Good one nii-san!" She grinned widely. Naruto grinned too. The two grins oddly resembled the other. Muffin-chan unlatched herself from the lazy chunnin, before staring at the two grinning teenagers.

"Wow,you both _do_ look like siblings!" Naruto grinned sheepishly, brekaing away from Melody to rub the back of his head.

"Really? I don't think so... I mean, we don't look much alike...." He mumbled, embarrassed.

Gaara snorted. "Except for the vivid blue eyes, equally ridiculous grins and irrationality."He commented.

Mel frowned. "I'm not that irrational..."

Muffin-chan blinked. "Panda-kun has a sense of humor!? The world has gone mad!" Gaara gave the dark haired girl a suspicious and dark glare. He obvious didn't like the new nickname, as he repeatedly strangely,

"Panda-kun?"

Naruto snickered again."Lighten up,Gaara! She's only joking.."

Melody wandered over to Gaara and clung to his arm. "Really, she's only joking. Besides, I think it's kinda a cute nickname..." She whispered and smiled up at him warmly.

Naruto sweatdropped. "..."

Gaara blushed uncharacteristically. "..."

Muffin-chan squealed and _awwed_, "Yay! You made him blush!" And thus this being said made the boy with love kanji on his forhead blush more. Melody blushed too, embarrassed because she was making Gaara embarrassed.

"Gomen, Gaara-kun."She murmured and pulled away, rubbing the back of her head nervously, trying hard to conceal her blush. Although, somewhere down inside herself she was cheering her victory of making him blush. _'Hell yeah!'_ Her inner self screamed. The pink haired ninja turned to Naruto, before smiling.

"I'll be right back. I need to go file out the report and then we can go home...and we don't need to worry about team Gai and Kakashi-sensei, Gai-sensei is... Taking care of him."Muffin and Melody shuddered, remembering the episode Guy had piggy back ridden the bedridden Kakashi back home. Melody sighed in relief, glad she wouldn't have to see such a mentally scarring sight. After Sakura disappeared into the crowd, Naruto turned back to the lazy chunnin. Naruto scratched his cheek.

"Shikamaru,now that I can ask.. What are you doing over here,dattebayo?"

Shikamaru yawned, "Your mission was taking longer then usual... They told me to check up on you guys."

Naruto grinned suggestively,"You sure it isn't because Temari is here?"

Shikamaru shook his head,"Women are too troublesome.."

Muffin-chan frowned,"Trouble some? Don't you mean some trouble?"

Shikamaru blinked. "No... I mean troublesome.."

Muffin tilted her head. "So if the trouble was some,why would it be.. Trouble..Some? ..Wha?"

Melody laughed. "One word, Muffin-chan. Not two."

Muffin-chan blinked,"...Oh! I knew that."

Shikamaru frowned. "Your friend here isn't so bright.."

Mel shook her head, before rolling her blue eyes at her friend. "Sure you did." She muttered, too low for anybody to hear. She suddenly glared at Shikamaru. "Don't insult Muffin-chan. She's more intelligent than she let's on. Don't forget it." She snarled. Shikamaru itched away silently while thinking,_ 'She's even scarier then Temari.. And my mom..'_

Muffin-chan smiled evilly. "I think he's scared of you,Mel-chan."

Melody smirked dangerously. "He should be." She whispered lowly. The wind stirred around them, although there had been no wind before.

Naruto sweatdropped. "Er... M-melody-c-chan?" he stammered.

Her eyes shot to him, loosing all the previous emotions. The wind dropped as she grinned at him."Hai, nii-san?"

Naruto gulped,"M-Maybe you should lay off on the super cool jutsu.."

Muffin-chan tilted her head. "How come?"

Shikamaru sighed,"She might attract enemy ninja by the use of her chakra... Geez, what did you two do in ninja academy all day?"

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Well, I don't think you have the place to say that Shikamaru.. Because you _did_ sleep during class most of the time." All three of the boys didn't notice the alarmed glances between girls at the mention of ninja academy.

Melody blinked and then sighed. "Yeah.... Ninja acadamy... What... A trip back in time..." She muttered, although there was nothing in her eyes that looked like she was reminiscing like the others.

Gaara looked at her curiously. "..What is it?"Gaara asked,eyeing the light brown haired teenager. Melody glanced at Gaara and mouthed a 'later'. He nodded.

Muffin-chan laughed nervously,"Hehe.. It's nothing,really.. "

Shikamaru yawned, "You two increased you chances by five percent."

Muffin-chan blinked,"..Of what?"

Melody blinked too, utterly confused. "How did we increase? What did we increase?" She asked. Shikamaru folded his arms under his head before staring out at the clouds,

"..Your chances of getting your, 'pimping cool hat' directly from Akatsuki."

Muffin-chan sweatdropped. "..."

Melody twitched. _'But wasn't that the Akastuki's actually hats that Muffin made appear out of nowhere?'_ She thought nervously. Then; '_From this angle, Shika looks like a.. a **pineapple**?!'_ Melody thought suddenly. A small smile spread over her lips. "Really, Shika-pineapple-hair?" She asked innocently.

Shikamaru scowled before mumbling,"It doesn't look like a pineapple,it looks like a coconut.."

Naruto sweatdropped. "Sorry about Shikamaru's behavior,he's just acting all depressed since somebody commented on his pineapple head just a few days ago.. He has..Er.. Issues?"

Muffin-chan,taking advantage of the sudden turn of the topic. "Aw,it's okay Shika!"

Shikamaru frowned. "Don't call me that.."

Melody grinned ferally. "She can call you whatever she likes, Shika-pineapple-hair." She growled. She liked scarring Shikamaru. It was fun.

Muffin-chan whispered behind her hand,"Is it just me,or do all of the people we meet and give nicknames to act like they are on PMS?" Shikamaru and Gaara glared at the dark haired teenager before Naruto sweatdropped..Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"They can hear you,you know.."

Melody laughed. "Totally." She said, in a clear very heard voice. She wasn't afraid to show them what she thought. But then she frowned. "Well, most people. Nii-san just has ADHD and Gaara is fine. I like him the way he is." she looked up at Gaara, smiling. He blushed lightly agian. Mel looked back at Muffin-chan, completely horrified. "Emo Boy on the other hand..." she said and shuddered. Muffin -chan covered her ears tightly, pouting slightly.

"I hope you don't mean Shikamaru when you say emo...Er,well,that would kind of make sense,but still! Shikamaru only looks emo from his lack of sugar!"

Melody laughed. "No, no. Muffin-chan. I mean the emo boy who won the gayest outfit of the year award."She joked, hoping nobody would figure out who they meant.

Naruto frowned. "Gayest outfit of the year award? Er,emo boy? This sounds famillar,but I can't put my finger on it,dattebayo.."

Shikamaru face palmed. "..."

Melody sweatdropped and shut her mouth quickly. Muffin-chan sighed dramatically. "Yes, um.. Poor fellow.. Buttbow and all.."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head,"...Buttbow? Like Orochimaru?"

Muffin face palmed herself in Shikamaru's like fashion. "Uh.. No,silly! This is a different Oro... Oreos! Like,the type you dip in milk! Duh!" Melody sighed in relief for Muffin's logic. And then Sakura ran up. Just in the nick of time... _'Thank Kami._' Melody thought.

Sakura smiled at all of them. "OK, I think we are ready to go now. Our mission of making sure the Kazekage is better has been completed. We can go home!" She smiled broadly.

Melody felt the blood drain from her face. Muffin waved a hand over Melody's face. "Yoo hoo,you okay Mel? You look a bit faint.. Is it from lack of sugar again? Lemme get you some,silly! Wait,why isn't this working? Oh noes, I'm out of chakra! Nooooooooo!"

Naruto blinked, not noticing the over dramatic dark haired girl and the tranced light haired one. "Huh? Oh,okay Sakura-chan! But wait,what about Mel-chan and Muffin-chan?"

Muffin-chan stopped her dramatic episode of realizing she couldn't make anymore sugar and glanced at Naruto. She tilted her head,confused. "Eh?"

Melody's heart was pounding quickly in her chest. Time... to leave? Leave Suna? No, she couldn't leave... she didn't really want to. She wanted to stay with Gaara-kun, teach Temari how to really cook, laugh and tease Konkuro. She loved the Sand village. But she didn't want to force Muffin to stay or really leave nii-san behind. She knew he'd be needing help soon. Her hands began to shake lightly and a light wind blew. She was completely oblivious to everyone else. Muffin-chan smiled nervously at Naruto,while glancing at her friend that was visibly a bit shaken out. "Er.. Maybe..We should..." She started stall, but Shikamaru soon caught on.

"You're stalling." He pointed out,yawning again.

She glared,annoyed. "Shh!" Naruto frowned.

"Muffin-chan, why are you stalling? We can go home now! And ramen's on me!" He grinned hugely.

"Um... Er... Look,a bird!" She pointed out to a random direction, and everybody turned around but Muffin and Melody. Muffin-chan turned to her light brown haired friend and shook her shoulders. "Dude, wake up! They are getting suspicious!" Muffin-chan whispered behind her hand to her dark haired friend. Mel seemed to slip out of her daze for a second.

"I.. I..." She stumbled, eyes widening and threatening to fill with tears. But she restrained the water. "I-" she couldn't go on. She was very confused. Which was home to her? Konoha or Suna? She felt like an untrained singer put on the stage suddenly, the spotlight only on her.

Muffin-chan rubbed the back of her head. "Er... Don't feel any pressure by what I want to do, Mel-chan. I'll go where ever you go, dude! So, what do you want to do?"

Melody bit her lip, so hard that it broke skin and started to bleed. "I... don't know... That's the problem. I need more time... to think..." she was trying hard not to cry now.

Naruto turned back towards the girls. "Where? I didn't see it!" When he saw Melody, his eyes widened. "What's wrong Mel?"

Muffin-chan glared at the blonde haired teenager, before covering his mouth to stop him from saying anything more. She laughed nervously. "Maybe we should stay another night, Naruto-san.. There's,um.." Muffin-chan looked from the corner of her eye frantically for any excuse before they laid on a colorful poster. "A festival! Yes, a festivial."

_'Where? Melody,you have to choose! Suna or Konoha! You have to choose! Now!'_ She was yelling mentally at herself. The words of her friends were blocked away from a sudden block in her ears. Then there was a twist in Mel's stomach, her heart throbbed, and an annoying hum started in the back of her mind. "Muffin!" She gasped and drew away, taking a step back. Melody staggered and then clenched her jaw. The ground shook lightly, the wind howled. An unspoken hysteria gripped at her. _What the fuck? Why am I all hysteric? Nobodies dead, there is no pitch darkness and no needles. Crap!_

Gasping, she scrambled over to a scraggly tree. She plopped down and grabbed her bag off her shoulder. She hurriedly rushed through the contents and then took out the calming pills Pein had given her. She hastily took one and swallowed it dry. She then sighed and put her face in her hands. Muffin-chan began to worry for her friend, who was sitting with her face in her hands. She thought maybe a whole extra night would be enough to decide where to go from now, but then she realized that maybe it wasn't the decision. She bended down to Melody's eye level."Dude,are you okay?"

"Damn." came Melody's reply.

Muffin smiled sheepishly."Er.. That's good, you can speak. Not so much of a reply, but still, good." Muffin spoke, while glancing over at the group of ninjas that were currently distracted by Naruto for the time being.

"Hai, I can speak. I was just too damn choked up to speak before. Damn, what's fucking wrong with me? Why'd I just have a damn hysteria attack? Or was it panic attack? I can't tell the damn difference anymore. Fuck it, I can't even decide where I want to live. How pathetic can I get?" She muttered, more so to herself than to anybody. But she was aware of Muffin's presence and that made her feel a bit more secure. She needed her friend.

Muffin-chan smiled goofily. "It's okay, Mel-chan. If you can't decide, I don't mind being homeless."

Melody's shoulders sagged. She finally looked up, her eyes were a storm of mixed emotions. "It's not that Muffin. I can't decide wether I want to live here, in Suna, or in Konoha. I doubt Gaara would ever let you live on the streets if we decided to stay here. And we'd get out own apartment in Konoha. If there were none, I bet you a years worth of ramen that Naru-nii would offer us a place in his apartment. But it's not just that too. Even if I choose to stay, I don't want to force you to stay too." she whispered, watching the now arguing crowd of people. Gaara just stood out of the crowd, watching, sometimes sending her slightly concerned looks. "Ugh." she muttered, shoulders sagging agian.

Muffin frowned at the capsule of pills in Melody's hands,"...Er,what are those?"

Melody stiffened. "Nothing!" She answered hurriedly.

"Melody," Muffin-chan bended down to her light brown haired friend's eye level, her face completely serious. She raised a suspicious brow. "What are those?"

Melody looked upwards. "Um... pills?" she offered innocently.

Muffin held out her hand for permission to examine them. "Mel..."

Melody stuffed the pills back in her bag. She remembered what Pein had said. _'Don't let her see or I'll find a way to make the people you care for suffer.'_ She didn't want anybody hurt. She then hurried got up and made way for the bickering group. "It's nothing!" she snapped over her shoulder.

Muffin watched as Melody's figure disappeared within the crowd of the bickering group, before she stood up and followed her friend. Shooting her a suspicious stare but not bringing up the topic, she tuned in to the discussion. _'What if she's being controlled by the unicorns? This is bad,very bad in deed..'_ Naruto, Sakura and Gaara were bickering before Naruto turned to the two girls with a scowl and whining. "Melody-chan, Muffin-chan, tell them to be nice to me!"

Melody shrugged. "How? I don't even know what the hell we're talking about!" she told them. Naruto crossed his arms before pointing a finger at Gaara.

"Gaara and I can't decide where you two are going to stay for the night!"

Muffin-chan blinked. "..Why not?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Because Gaara wants you guys to go to his Kage manson place, and Naruto wants to have a slumber party at a hotel."

Naruto twitched,"I do not! That's something Sas-gay would do!"

Muffin whispered behind her hand,"Now I agree with that.." Mel grinned at that.

Melody then blushed darkly and sent Gaara a look from under her lashes. She smiled at him. He rose a non-existant brow. Slowly, she stepped towards Gaara. "I can stay at Gaara's." she murmured.

"Psst! Mel! Can I..?" Muffin gave her the puppy dog eyes, eyeing Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru. Muffin never had a slumber party before. Thus implying she wanting a slumber party at the hotel with Shika, Sakura and Naruto, and if that wasn't enough, the sign in front of her was. Naruto tilted his head, confused,"...How did you do that? And why does it say, 'Muffin plus pineapple equals Skittles'?"

Melody burst out laughing.

Muffin blinked. "Oh! Oops!" She smudged it out before replacing it with, '_Muffin plus pineapple equal.. Sugar and plushies?_' She grinned goofily, holding the sign. "All better."

Mel grinned wickedly. "Yeah, Muffin-chan, skittles is something entirely different." She winked. Everybody but the two girls sweat dropped. Muffin's cheeks turned red, the blood rushing to her face. Her eyes widened, finally understanding what she meant. She whispered to her light brown haired friend, fighting a smile.

"Not like that!"she said. Muffin wanted to hang out with the blond haired ninja, too.. and show Sakura that sugar was in fact healthy, no matter what her medical jutsu said. And possibly play truth or dare. Muffin grinned evilly, already having a bunch of dares ready.

Melody laughed again. "OK, so Muffin you can go to the slumber party and I'll stay wi-... at Gaara's." She finished.

"Okay,Mel-chan! I'll see you at the festivial! We need to get ready!" Muffin started dragging the lazy boy by the hand,ignoring onlookers,with a sweatdropping Naruto and Sakura following close behind. Melody laughed and waved them off. Then she smiled at Gaara. He gave her a small one in return and they started to walk back to the house.

* * *

TIME SKIP TO THE FESTIVAL!!! **Tears: Ha ha, didn't expect that did ya?**

* * *

"Is this really necessary?" Shikamaru said with a scowl, not liking being dragged by the hand. In front of them was a bunch of booths, games and decorations around the village for the celebration. What the festivial was for, the dark haired teenager didn't really know. Muffin smiled evilly at the pineapple shaped head teenager.

"Yes,it is." Muffin was going to spend a day with her favorite character, darn it! Even if it killed her... or the unicorns did. _Whatever happens first_. she thought to herself.

Naruto glanced around the crowd of people nervously. "I can't find them anywhere,dattebayo.."

"Can't find who?" Melody asked from behind. Naruto turned wildly to see her and Gaara standing behind, holding hands. Gaara was glaring coldly, ready to snap at anyone who made any comment about him and Melody's hands. Temari was next to them, fuming.

Muffin-chan blinked, "Temari,are you okay? You look a bit red.."

Temari said through clenched teeth. "I'm fine." Muffin grinned evilly. _'Maybe Mel would help me with operation 'ShikaTema'?'_ Naruto turned toward his friend, who was busy holding hands with the light haired girl.

"What do we do,dattebayo?"

Muffin grinned. "Play games and win free stuff/prizes,duh."

Melody laughed and dragged Gaara along with her, heading straight for a booth. "LOOKIE! THERE ARE DUCKIES!" She squealed happily.

Gaara looked behind him at everyone. "What have I gotten myself into?" he called to them.

Shikamaru sighed. "Why are you still holding my hand?"

Muffin grinned sheepishly, realizing the lazy boy was getting suspicious. Shikamaru was always Muffin's second favorite character, right behind Naruto. She thought he was pretty cool. Much cooler then Pop-tarts, and that's saying something for her. Since she couldn't explain that she wanted to squeeze him to death because he was her second favorite character... Well, she could, but that would bring a lot of questions she couldn't answer. So instead, the dark haired teenage girl used her (crazy) logic. "My mom told me to always hold somebody's hand while crossing the road?" She gave him a unconvinced smile, hoping that he would buy that. Unfortunately, geniuses with IQ's over two hundred notice those types of things...

He narrowed his eyes. "Aren't you a bit too old for that? And why me, of all people?"

Muffin tapped her chin," Maybe it's because of the vertical angle of a obtuse square that makes up the shape of this road, if we were rectangular shapes with the area of fifteen, minus the width and height of the obtuse square, it would make up two halves that is five feet and six inches each, adding together the angle that makes up negative ten. Does it make sense now?"

Shikamaru blinked incredulously, "Wha.."

Muffin-chan grinned, before dragging away the confused lazy chunnin. "Come on silly head, we are going to miss out on all the free prizes, duh!"

Naruto laughed and then smiled at Sakura. "Hey, Sakura-chan! This is kinda like a-" He stopped when Sakura bonked him on the head.

She glared."IF YOU SAY DATE YOUR DEAD, BAKA!" She shouted and then calmly followed Muffin and Shikamaru.

Naruto pouted. "Geez, Sakura-chan, I was just kidding, heh heh.." He rubbed the back of his head tenderly before catching up with the trio. Muffin sweat dropped. '_Hey,at least it's an improvement.. I mean, like, he didn't fly fifty feet into the air this time, right?'_

Melody came back, grinning and holding her own very rubber ducky. "His name is Duck Van Quack." She told them with a straight face.

Gaara sweat dropped. "Duck Van Quack?"Gaara questioned,observing the stuffed rubber ducky Melody had in her arms.

"Yeah! Like, you know, Dick Van Dyke... Only... Wait... Er, nevermind. Only Muffin would get it." She mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck nervously before smiling a little. Then she tensed. She had this strange sense someone was watching all of them.

"Hey Muffin?"

"Yeah, Mel-chan?" Muffin asked her friend, whose figure had tensed up. Muffin blinked, suddenly feeling a dark aura radiating from the area. _Maybe it's the unicorns, _she thought.

"Do you feel as if-" But she stopped when the feeling suddenly left. She turned half way to the side, eyes directed from where the feeling had mainly come from. Then she frowned and shrugged. "Eh, nevermind." Then she grinned and ran up to Naruto. She stood right in front of him, smirking smugly. Naruto backed away from Melody, not liking the smirk attached to her face. Even the dense knuckle head ninja knew when teenage girls smile like that,it's a bad sign.

"What is it,Mel-chan?"

"I challenge you.... to..." She paused, clearly for dramatic effect. Storm clouds suddenly accumulated around her, lightning flashed. "TO THAT RAMEN EATING CONTEST OVER THERE!" She shouted gleefully, pointing. She grinned largely. The entire group gasped in momentary shock, but didn't have time to recover when Muffin all of a sudden jumped onto a table with a microphone. A gigantic arena appeared in front of them before their eyes, with another table with about forty bowls of hot ramen. Muffin grinned wildly, before speaking loudly into her microphone.

"Ladies and buttbow people, may I have your attention please!" The group sweat dropped, but it was ignored as a crowd of people suddenly surrounded them. "Over on that side of the arena.. Is our very own Melody Char!" Muffin announced, before realizing she wasn't getting any auidence reaction. She coughed cloudly. "I _said_ over on that side of the arena is Melody Char!" All of the ninjas sweat dropped, but all clapped quickly, breaking in nervous sweat. "...And over there is Naru-chan."

_Cricket... cricket..._

Naruto scowled. Muffin grinned goofily. "The rules are simple: Who ever eats the most ramen wins. Ready.."

Naruto blinked."Wait,but I never agreed.."

Muffin ignored the blonde haired ninja,and continued with her sentence. "Get set.."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. "But-"

"Go!" Melody started eating a a bunch of bowls of ramen then, glad she hadn't eaten breakfast or it would have just come back up. But then, who would want to eat breakfast when Temari was cooking? Definitely not Mel-chan. Blinking, Naruto started eating too. The seconds ticked by.... Naruto tried to keep up with the light haired girl, but from the corner of his eyes, he saw her devouring her share. His stomach rumbling and he knew right there he shouldn't have had Temari's cooking that morning.

Five minutes later, the bell rang; The results were in as Gaara disgustedly gave Muffin-chan the slip of paper. "It's incredible how much they can eat...." Shikamaru yawned from behind Muffin, clearly bored. Muffin skimmed though the results before her gaze directed to the two contestants. Melody sat there with a bored expression. Naruto, meanwhile, looked a bit pale before throwing up behind the table, but nobody paid him any attention. "It seems we have a winner.. It is.. Choji? Wait, that can't be right..."

* * *

A Little Later....

* * *

"Look Mel-chan! A spray paint tattoo shop thingy! The unicorns must love us." Muffin exclaimed.

Melody grinned and ran up with Muffin-chan to the shop. Gaara blushed again and Naruto laughed at him which only resulted in Sakura hitting him again and lecturing him. "Naruto,stop mocking Gaara!" The booth consisted of only one person,which was filled with supplies to face paint and stuff. The lady smiled politely. "What can I do for you?" Melody suddenly blushed. "I want a love kanji... Above my right eye. Please?" she murmured politely.

The booth lady laughed, before nodding in acknowledgment. "Sure, hold on." She reached under the table to get her brush and paint. She showed the light haired girl the colors before asking,"In which color?"

Melody smiled. "Red." Then she turned to Muffin-chan and grinned. "What are you getting Muffin?"

Muffin-chan grinned,"I'm getting spirals on my cheeks! Even if it's Choji's clan thing, it's still coolio looking, so I'm getting it anyway! Besides, I hope it makes Shika-kun jealous, duh! "Muffin said loudly, as a joke. She smiled, eyeing the pineapple shaped head teenager. Well, it wasn't that she was really trying to make him jealous, she really did think they looked cool. Shikamaru yawned from where he was before calling out:

"You do realize we are still here,right?"

Melody laughed. "Yeah, but we are trying to ignore you for the most part. This is our cool little thing! NOW BUTT OUT! DATTEBAYO!" Melody laughed again when Naruto pouted.

"That's my word, dattebayo!" He complained.

Mel shrugged. The face paint lady sweatdropped before she began. She dipped the brush into the crimson colored liquid before it touched Melody's face. It took the lady a few minutes, but eventually she finished up. "Ah, there you go. But before I start with your friend, can I ask you a question?"

Melody nodded warily as she got up. "Sure thing. Shoot." she said, crossing her arms over her chest and leaned back against the wall.

"The kanji, 'Ai' symbol stands for love. Is it for a special boy?" The lady winked knowingly at Melody, as Muffin snickered in the backround at her friend's misfortune.

"It's creepy how she knows this, dattebayo..." Naruto whispered behind his hand.

Melody bloomed scarlet and opened her mouth to answer but only ended up saying nothing. She ducked her head, hair curtaining her face, and blushed some more.

The lady laughed before shaking her head. "Ah, that's so cute.. You have a boyfriend, don't you? Young love... It's been a while since I've experienced it."

A few feet away Naruto snickered, before whispering behind his hand. "I just wonder though, how long ago that was, dattebayo?"

Sakura bopped Naruto in the middle of the head before scolding, "That's disrespectful towards your elders, Naruto-baka!"

Naruto laughed nervously,holding his hands up in the air. "I was just kidding, Sakura-chan! Heh heh.."

Finally, Melody stopped blushing and looked up. "Yeah... My boyfriend Gaara." She finally murmured. Then she shot Naruto a 'good-one' grin at his chuckled statement. Then she rushed back over to Gaara -before the paint lady could say anything else- and grinned. "Look Gaara-kun! I'm like you now. Only my kanji is over my right eye and yours is over your left. I meant for that. See, we complete the other? Symmetry and all that crap." She chuckled at her logic. Gaara nodded.

After the lady had painted Muffin a spiral like the one on the blonde haired teenager's jacket, she waved happily before joining with the group. "Where do you want to go now?" Shikamaru asked, completely bored.

Sakura smiled evilly. "Let's go to that fortune telling booth."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "You actually believe in that kind of stuff,Sakura-chan?" Sakura glared at Naruto before hitting him over the head again, causing him to fall onto the ground,seeing stars.

"Do you think Naru-chan is mental now, seeing how many times Sakura has hit him over the head, neh?"Muffin asked and laughed. Melody leaned back on Gaara, smirking again.

"Hell yeah. But then, I'm mental too. So, really, that just makes us more sibling-like, iie?" She laughed at her own inside joke. Muffin blinked, not fully understanding her sentence.

Sakura eventually dragged the group, almost literally, toward the fortune telling booth. "Come on guys, this will be fun, really! Besides, don't you want to find out who you will marry?" She said all dreamily, more then likely daydreaming of a certain emo boy.

Muffin cringed. "Ew! Cooties!" She said, acting if she were five years old. Naruto made a gag face with his mouth, as everybody snickered.

Melody frowned and rolled her eyes. "Ick, dream on Sakura. He's not into you." She told her. Mel rolled her eyes, remembering Muffin and her time with Sasuke... And him stalking them.... And threatening them... And yeah.. She sighed. "But, anyway, Sakura. Why would we want to know who will marry us? I think I'd want it to be surprise, although-" she didn't finish her sentence, instead only she was relentless when even Muffin wanted to go to the fortune teller.

Muffin reasoned with Melody, "Oh come on, I don't want to know about lovey dovey stuff, I want to ask her if eventually I will make my own sugar farm, duh!"

Naruto blinked. "Sugar grows in farms?"

Muffin-chan shrugged,"I dunno, but I will never find out if I don't ask her, duh."

Shikamaru sighed,"How troublesome, besides, fortune telling is only a person wearing gypsy stuff with incense burning in the back round, and making a quick buck telling you the things you want to hear."

Muffin pouted before whining,"I'm with Shika. Come on, let's go! Pleeeease?"

Muffin grinned evilly, before elbowing the lazy chunnin. "If you convince her, I'll help you with your relationship with Temari!"Muffin whispered loudly. Shikamaru pretended like he didn't hear that and tried to ignore her. '_This is all so troublesome..'_

Melody sighed and looked at Gaara. "What do you think?" she asked him.

He shrugged."Sounds like... fun." He said flatly.

Melody sighed in defeat. "Fine, let's go." she said, a frown playing at her lips.

"Yay!" Muffin jumped up and down, for she was going to find out about her sugar farm. Or at least that's what she hoped. The group of five entered the cheap tent, their vision blurred with incense. They were greeted with a woman attired in gypsy clothing, just as Shikamaru predicted. Muffin noticed a mole on the side of her cheek before whispering to Melody. "Is it just me or do all gypsy have a mark in the middle of the cheek?"

Melody snorted. "Don't know, this is my first." She admitted.

The gypsy grinned toothily at them before speaking in a foreign accent, "Hello, hello! My name is Yanni! Now, who should go first.." She glanced around the group, before her eyes laid on Melody. "You! Come, come, inside the tent.."

Melody blinked in surprise. "But, I'm not..." she started. Yani ignored her and shooed her in the tent anyway, before sitting her down infront of her crystal ball. "Now, now my child.. It seems your future is a bit foggy.."

Naruto called from the other room, "Are you sure it isn't the incense?"

The woman scowled. Melody laughed at her nii-san. "Well the smoke is a little thick, iie?" she called back. Then she crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at the gysp. "What ya mean, 'foggy'? Just tell me what ya see so we can get this over with." she snapped impatiently. The woman grew a anime vein but it calmed down after a few moments. She gazed into her crystal ball, before speaking,"It seems that your past was complicated, yes? But your future.. Huh?" She suddenly stopped her foreign accent when a gigantic fog clouded her eyes. "Uh.. This wasn't in the self help books.."

Melody sweat dropped. "Your so pathetic, ya know that?" Melody sighed and then shrugged. "Eh, depends on what you mean past. Like not so long ago past or really far past. Because in my opinion all my past is fucked up. Well... sorta." Mel looked up thoughtfully. "My friends are cool though."

Yanni scowled before turning back to her crystal ball and saying dramatically,"It seems that a upcoming danger will happen after a warning. It has to do with your past. And control... And... Sugar? What the crap? ...Anyway, it seems that one decision could be your strength or your downfall."

Melody drained of color. "What do you mean? I've had a lot of warnings. Can you see anybody in the ball?" then she chuckled. "He he... Ball." The lady sweatdropped before continuing,

"Something with a guy,with alot of noise piercings.. Huh,I should ask him where he gets his done... I mean, um, spooky!"

"Pein?" She breathed. "Wait- I don't get it..." She said, eyes actually very interested now.

"Hmm,this is getting a bit complex... Let me get out the tarot."All of a sudden she took out three decks of cards and withdrew them. She flipped the three decks over, before examining them. "It seems that Pein guy is... Controlling you? Ew, aren't you like fifteen? I mean, um, spooky and stuff..."

Melody ground her teeth. "Shut it before I knock your teeth from your jaw." she snarled. She sighed. "Anything else?" She asked casually, making a mental note to check out the pills in her bag.

She glanced at the door of the tent, eyeing the shadows of the group behind it."It seems that you are hiding something vital from somebody you care about... There lies the decision that you must-" Her voice was cut out from the sudden ringing of a bell. She wrinkled her nose, before turning to the light brown haired teenager. "Oops, it seems like your out of time. That is ten bucks, please." She smiled innocently. Melody glared and then, reluctantly, gave her the money. Then she stomped outside.

"This fortune thing was a load of crap." She snapped at everyone and stormed away, heading back to Gaara's for her bag.

"Melody!"Muffin called at her friend, before attempting at chasing after her. But was tripped by the wires of what seemed to be a fog machine.

Naruto grinned. "Ha! I knew it wasn't just the incense, dattebayo!" Everybody glared at the blonde haired ninja, so he abruptly shut shrugged. "Nani? I did." he muttered and then sighed, watching his nii-chan walking away. "What's up with Mel-chan?" he asked nobody and yet everybody. Even Gaara looked concerned. Muffin untangled herself from the wires before rolling up her sleeves and entering the inside of the tent, demanding an answer.

"Hey,gyspy-person! What did you say to get Mel-chan mad?"

The gyspy person blinked,before smiling innocently. "Ten bucks,please."

Gaara then walked in. "Your going to tell us what you did to my girlfriend." He snarled, sand twirling dangerously around him. He smirked lethally. "Because I'm the Kazekage of Sunagakure."

The fortune telling lady laughed nervously before speaking,"I just told her somethings.."

Naruto glared darkly. "What kind of things,dattebayo?"

Gaara noded curtly. "...Now." He told her, glaring. "I won't hesitate to kill you."

She gulped,"Okay,okay! I told her.. That she will.." The fortune teller lady wondered if the light haired girl wanted the information revealed. And wondered what would happen if she didn't. _What's worse_, she thought,_ crazy Kazekage or crazy teenaged girl?_ She made up her decision, before speaking,"I told her that her pet turtle named Steve will pass away in a few days."

Naruto blinked,"That's all?"

She nodded frantically. Gaara narrowed his eyes at the now sweating fortune teller. She wasn't meeting their eyes. _She's lying... _Gaara realized. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Did I mention how much I hate liars, Naruto? Muffin?" he grinned a feral grin.

Naruto frowned. "No, why?" he asked dumbly. Muffin rolled her eyes before going with Gaara's act.

Muffin grinned goofily. "No, you didn't panda dude. Why don't you show us just how much you hate liars, panda?"

Gaara grinned evilly. "Sure thing." He stepped towards the gypsy, sand eerily crawling closer. Gaara glared and then the sand finally swirled around the gyps. "Care to tell the truth now?" he asked evilly.

The gypsy drained of color,knowing the rumors of the former Kazekage's son. "Alright, just don't hurt me! Some man named Pain is controlling your friend and keeping it from all of you!"She braced her head protectively with her arms. The group blinked in shock. The sand fell off the gypsy as Gaara felt shock hit him like a boulder. _Pein? Leader of the Akastuki? Controlling Mel-chan?_ He looked at everybody else, seeing almost the same reaction on all their faces.

Muffin dropped the bag of sugar she had in her hands, having it minutes before appear. She turned to Gaara with a wary glance, a rare serious expression taking over her face,"We have to stop wasting time over here,and go to Melody. She needs us right now." Gaara nodded and Naruto grew a fierce determined look on his face.

"DATEBAYO! WHY THE HELL ARE WE STANDING HERE THEN!? LET'S GO!" He shouted and they all ran.

The gypsy sighed. "Worst day ever." She breathed, brushing sand from her skirt and then putting up the 'Closed' sign.

* * *

Meanwhile... 

* * *

Shikamaru frowned."We aren't going to get there in time.."

Naruto blinked,"In time for what?"

Shikamaru sighed,"There is a twenty percent chance that Melody will do something reckless, because she acts a bit like you do Naruto."

Muffin shook her head, "Dude, Melody won't do something that stupid... Unless.."

Shikamaru looked grave. "Unless Pein was controlling her to do so."

Muffin blinked, before mumbling under her breath. "I should have realized why she was acting so strangely all day... Some friend I am."

* * *

At Gaara's House...

* * *

Melody was packing her bags, fury boiling her blood. She was going to show Pein a piece of her mind. Fuck that Naruto would kill that bastard, she was going to murder him. Torture him, cut him up slowly, then chop his damn head off. She ground her teeth together and then started to open the window. Then she paused, somehow regaining a consciousness about Gaara. She choked and then wrote a quick note and then chuckled and rubbed her tattoo over it. Just like she thought, it imprinted exactly. Quickly, she hid it under their pillow and, without any more hesitation, jumped out the open window.

* * *

Back at the festival...

* * *

Naruto whispered behind his hand to Shikamaru. "Geez, I've never seen Muffin this serious for anything... Even if I just met her a few days ago. It's kind of scary, dattebayo!" Their eyes watched the dark haired girl that had gone a few feet ahead of them.

Shikamaru sighed,"You have to understand, Naruto, they are best friends. Muffin knows if she acts stupid right now, she might risk the life of her friend."

Naruto blinked. "Wait, she knows that? Why doesn't she say so?"

Shikamaru yawned. "Because intelligence is your greatest element, right behind the element of surpise."

Naruto frowned. "Huh? You lost me after 'because'."

Gaara rolled his eyes, hurrying. Finally they reached the house. "Melody stays in my room, I'll show you were it is." He told them quickly, rushing into the mansion.

Naruto grinned at Gaara. "She stays in your room? Last time I was here, Gaara, you didn't have two beds." He teased. Gaara didn't respond, although he had a strange urge to hit him like Sakura was doing at that very moment.

"Stop playing around,Naruto."Sakura said, making Naruto rub the back of his head tenderly. They rushed up the stairs, past the confused Kankuro and Temari... After climbing two flights of stairs, they reached a small hallway... Gaara kicked open the second door in the hallway. The group of now seven filed into the room, before Gaara looked through the room. Lifting a pillow, Gaara snatched the note underneath and skimmed through it.

__

Dear Gaara-kun

Gomenasai for suddenly leaving. But I have to. Just knowing that someone was secretly controlling me when I thought they were trying to help makes my blood boil. Which is what has happened. I have to do what I know I have to. Alone.

Love you,

Mel

He sighed, "She's gone."

Kankuro pointed to the open window, raising a brow. "No shit." They glared at him, so he backed looked around, biting his lip.

Naruto sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Gone where? Did she mention, dattebayo?"

Gaara shook his head no. He clenched his fist. "She's more then likely past the village gates by now.."

Shikamaru nodded,"It's almost impossible to find her right now." Naruto glared at Shikamaru, but Shikamaru just held his hands in defense. "I'm just stating the obvious."

Gaara sighed. "Is there anybody who might be able to find her?" he whispered, desperation in his tone. His eyes were full of distress. Muffin turned to Gaara ,a plan forming in her mind.

"I could."

Naruto frowned,"You can't go alone.."

Muffin tapped her chin. "I can pop myself in front Mel. Although, it might use most of my chakra and I could only do one person. I don't really know the full extent of my, er, 'trick'."

Sakura shook her head. "That's too dangerous, to use your chakra like that. You wouldn't have the energy to find her.. . Besides,you don't know where she is right now. We only know where she's going."

Shikamaru sighed. "Sakura is right...Muffin."He said, giving her a strange stare for the weird name. "Teleportation jutsu is too dangerous."

Muffin fell anime style, before sighing dramatically. "You're stepping all over my pimpin'ness, duh." The group sweatdropped, confused at the sudden change of expression. Muffin, taking this to her advantage, closed her eyes before clapping her hands together. Everybody shared confused looks as a few moments passed, before she smiled mischeviously. With a poof of smoke, the dark haired teenager was gone; leaving a group of confused teenagers in the dust.

Gaara just smirked. "I like her." he said suddenly. Everybody turned to give him a strange look. He blinked. "Nani?" He asked defensively.

* * *

Meanwhile..

* * *

Melody ran, unable to stop even though she was tiring. Something was tugging me onward. The air was hot, the sun beating down on me. But she pressed on. Melody couldn't stop, even though she wanted to. She guess it was just her anger pushing her forward. '_Hell, I want him dead as soon as possible, iie? Hai, I do.'_ She thought to herself. The light brown haired teenager wiped sweat from her brow and continued on.

* * *

"Fish brains, stop taking breaks every five minutes, you lazy ass!"

"Shut up Karin, walking is tiring!"

"Both of you, be quiet, hn.." The monotonic voice broke into the argument. The two owners of the voices both immediately closed their mouths. A group of four stood a good five miles away from Sunagakure's gates, a silent atmosphere lurking between them. A white haired teenage swordsman drank from his water bottle, making the red haired medic scowl. Karin blinked suddenly and fixed her glasses nervously.

"Sasuke-kun, I feel a disturbance of chakra in the air..."

Sasuke nodded. "Hn, I noticed."

Suigetsu yawned, before smirking at the red haired medic. "See, Karin? You _are_ useless. Sasuke can taste chakra too. Guess we can just drop you off in Suna and get on with our little adventure." He laughed. Juugo just rolled his eyes. All of a sudden, a cloud of dust blurred the foursome's vision. In the mist of smoke, a figure. They backed a few feet away. The figure coughed, the cloud of smoke fading away. In it's place was a dark haired girl, instead of the upcoming threat they thought it was. The group sweat dropped. "Fail.. Epic fail."Suigetsu said, shaking his head. Suigetsu squinted. "Eh, Sasuke? Is that the girl we're looking for? Is it the minor or major? I can't tell." He shrugged, sipping more water. Sasuke rolled his eyes and Karin huffed. Juugo stayed silent.

Sasuke nodded."Yes, she's one of the targets. Hn, the minor."

Muffin blinked. "...Sui dude? Emosuke? Red head? Er, what are you people doing here? Not that I'm not, er, happy to see you people again or anything..."

Juugo frowned. "You forgot me." He said bluntly.

Sasuke glared. "What are you doing here?" He snarled, hand gripping the handle of his katana. The emo avenger was on his guard; it was strange of the teen to be seperated from her friend. Muffin laughed nervously, holding up her hands defensively.

"Hey, hey! Don't get your emo pants in a wad. And didn't you just say I was a target you were looking for, doesn't that just make your job easier, Emosuke?" she asked.

"Stop calling me emo." He snapped and then rose a brow. "Now answer the question."

Muffin ignored him. Instead, she turned to Juugo, before tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Huh, you're right. I need a nickname for you..." Sasuke glared even further, sharringan developing.

Jugo smiled lightly."..."

Muffin yawned. "This was fun and all, but I'm afraid I have to cut this short... Ja'ne." She waved before attempting at making a run for it... Until she tripped on a rock. She pouted. "Darn it!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and moved quickly towards her, grabbing her arms. "What are you doing? Where is the other annoying girl?" He asked tightly. Somewhere deep down though, he was worried. They never separated...

Karin grew anime heart eyes at Sasuke's demonstration at strength. "That's right Sasuke! Force the answer out of her! Pound her face in!" She applauded. She still didn't forgive her and her friend for their last encounter. She received a sharp glance from Sasuke and a roll of eyes from her other two teammates.

Muffin sighed. "Dude, you're kinda holding on to my arms too tight. You know, cutting your blood circulation is bad for the muscles...Duh." She nodded a matter of factly.

Sasuke turned back to Muffin, giving her a full blown Uchiha glare. "Hn,you didn't answer my question." Sasuke then loosened his grip a bit, hoping that would make her finally say something. He glared even further, waiting as patiently as he could. Suigetsu listened too. Jugo stared at clouds and Karin was sulking. Muffin scowled, seeing that there was no way out of this. Besides, she wondered why she didn't appear before Melody. "Fine, fine. Melody ... .... .... .... ."Muffin mumbled it too lowly for their ears.

Sasuke frowned. "...Hn?"

Muffin face palmed herself. "Melody is gone! Disappeared. Poof!"

Sasuke's eyes widened. "What do you mean, poof?" He asked tensely.

Suigetsu rolled his eyes."I think she means the girl, Melody, ran off." he sighed, leaning back against the rock.

Sasuke glared. "I realized that! But why?" He snapped, turning back to Muffin.

"Pein.."Muffin said spookily, hoping that they would get creeped out and let her go.

It seemed Sasuke had other plans, though. He narrowed his eyes at the dark haired girl, "What do you mean Pein?"

Suigetsu tilted his head,"I think she means Pein, you know, leader of the Akatsuki."

Sasuke glared at him. "I know that,hn! I meant what happened?"

"God Sasuke, no need to be snappy. I mean, what is wrong with you? You're never this intense on stuff. Especially about some dumb girl..." Karin trailed off, suddenly confused.

Suigetsu grinned though."Unless the all-famous Uchiha has a crush on this 'dumb' girl." He laughed. Juugo blinked,confused. Sasuke glared and was about to snarl something when interrupted by a laugh.

"Haha! Sasuke got owned!" Muffin laughed.

Suigetsu gave her a sharky grin. "Good one."

Karin grew a anime vein before turning to Sasuke with hopeful eyes. "But that's not true,right Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke didn't respond. "What happened, hn hn?" He repeated, eyes narrowed at Muffin. Suigetsu rose a brow.

Muffin blinked. "What does kusso mean?" Sasuke twitched, remembering she could understand his hn's...

"Hn, you're avoiding the question!" Sasuke snapped.

Muffin smiled innocently,"No I'm not.."

Karin rolled her eyes. "You're all idiots. He's swearing." She snapped. "NOW ANSWER SASUKE-KUN'S QUESTION!"

Suigetsu rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "Eh, you're quite a bitch today." He muttered.

Muffin nodded in agreement. "I agree. Somebody must have not had their intake of sugar today, duh.." The group sent her quizzical stares before she explained. "Sugar keeps your energy up and mostly in the brains as well... Something that Karin lacks in, obviously, duh."She added the last part under her breath. Suigetsu chuckled. Karin started to argue but was silenced when Sasuke suddenly yelled,

"_WHAT HAPPENED TO MELODY!?!"_ Everybody froze. Sasuke almost never yelled.

Muffin rubbed the back of her neck nervously,"Pain was controlling her with some type of pills, I suppose. She's now going their to beat his arse, but she's kind of influenced by him... It's a bit complicated to explain, duh." They all gave her strange stares when she was finished, so she frowned. "What? Something on my face? Ooh, I hope it's sugar..."

Sasuke stiffened. "We'll help. Karin can track down her chakra. That's what we were doing originally. Tracing your guys' chakra. I guess we'll just go the other way now. Besides, maybe I'll run into Itachi and finally murder the bastard." he snapped. His eyes snapped to Karin. "Start looking for a fresh trail." He snapped. Muffin narrowed her eyes at Sasuke, no longer looking for non-existent sugar.

"Who said I needed your help? Besides, last time we saw you, didn't you try to kill us or something of the sort? What makes me so sure that you won't do something to risk my friend's life?"

Suigetsu snickered. "She has a point, Sasuke." They sweat dropped, but promptly ignored him for the time being.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Not really. I just tried to kidnap you, then grabbed Melody and threatened to kill her if you didn't come. But Melody ended up kicking me in the... um... Anyway, you both high-five'd while I was down and then got away, hn." He shrugged. Suigetsu and Juugo sweat dropped while Karin's mouth dropped.

* * *

Somewhere off, Melody felt a strange urge to chuckle to herself. So she did. Mel had no clue what was so funny, but something in her heart knew someone was talking about her and she'd gained brownie points.

* * *

Muffin tapped her chin thoughtfully, thinking over her options. She knew she couldn't make much more distance until she got some rest and by then Melody would have been much more farther by then._ But if I let team Hebi take me..._ she thought. She glanced at the members, until her gaze rested on the famillar emo boy. She sighed. "Fine. But if you screw up, emo boy ,I will hunt you down and pour a pound of sugar down your throat. Got it?" Everybody sweat dropped.

Finally though, Sasuke nodded. He let go of her then and turned to Karin. "Look for a fresh trail. Suigetsu, carry Muffin. She's wasted too much chakra." He snapped the orders.

Suigetsu just shrugged, although grinning, and went over to Muffin. "Ya mind?" he asked, holding out his hands to scoop her up.

"Nah."She shrugged, her mood suddenly different from the previous seriousness moments before. Suigetsu grinned sharkily before scooping her up and holding her in his arms. She clapped her hands childishly. "Yay!" Muffin grinned evilly. She didn't need to walk and carry her own dead weight! Suckers! Muffin coughed awkwardly. "..." The group of ninjas continued walking on the border of wind country, less and less sand peaking out of the ground.

* * *

**Tears: Wowzers! Guess that was a long chappie, neh? But I know NOF loves it. ^_^ heh heh. Hi NOF.  
**

**Sasuke: NOF? Hn, hn hn hn!  
**

**Muffin: No. I don't think so at least. Want some sugar?**

**Sasuke: o.O**

**Tears: lmao. Thanks for reading and stayed tuned on the blog. Tomorrow a teaser picture me and Bittersweet drew goes up. ;)**

**ReViEw PlEaSe!!!!  
**


	23. Chapter 22

**Tears: Short chapter update! It's short, but it's fullllll of drama. Trust me. I bet the middle part might make you cry.*nods* Thanks to Bittersweet, who worked all the chat into readable script! **

**Melody: Tears and Bittersweet don't fucking own Naruto, although they both probably want to. But for damn sure, they own me, Muffin and the WAY earlier mentioned Ink, who's also sorta mentioned in this chapter. Shit, lucky ass Naruto cast.**

**Tears: Mel, I think I've pointed this out before, but you swear _a lot_. I mean, you've even gotten worse from before!**

**Mel: -sharp glare and opens her mouth to snarl-**

**Tears: -sighs and interrupts- I know, I know, shut the fuck up.**

**Melody: o.O**

**

* * *

****EDIT: **

**Tears: Oh my lordie! Sorry guys. Re-read the chapter, we forgot half of it! lol, i was wondering why it was so short. XP  
Sorry!  
**

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* * *

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"..And it contains surcrose,dextrose,high fructose corn syrup,but despite what everyone says,it is not fattening!" The dark haired teen nodded vigorously,pouting.

The red haired medic ninja sighed,before rubbing her temples. "Be quiet,you're giving me a head ache!"

Suigetsu grinned sharkishly,before glancing at the teenager's bag of sugar. "Why,Karin? You jealous?"

Karin fixed her glasses nervously again. "N-No,of course not! Sugar is completely fattening,why would I be jealous?" She turned away from the group,coughing awkwardly.

Sasuke shook his head,sighing. "This is going to be a long day,hn.."He muttered,frowning. Juugo nodded mutely.

The red haired ninja went to work on finding their new path.. Karin rushed to Sasuke's side and then sniffed around. Finally she pointed north-west. "Fifty meters that way. A fresh trail, probably only about twenty minutes ago." she stated. Sasuke nodded and they all rushed towards the trail. While rushing towards the trail and leaping through the trees like usual ninja follock.

Suigetsu looked down at the dark haired girl,before dropping his jaw. In her hands she held onto a bag of sugar,and Muffin took notice of the stare she received. "Er.. You want some?"

Suigetsu shook his head. "Eh,why do you like sugar so much?"

Muffin grinned,but shrugged."I don't get it much back home,my family is,er,poor..and stuff."

Suigetsu sweat dropped,but didn't ask anymore can she stand all the sugar? '_Ick_.' He thought to himself. Then he shook his head and sighed. "What was your home-life like?" he asked, trying to make small talk. "How long have you known Melody? And yeah... And stuff..." he said, noting he was talking too fast.

Muffin didn't mind him talking too fast,because she herself spoke fast as well. "Er,actually,I had this job in this gift shop place. And actually, I met Mel at a museum.."

Suigetsu raised a brow,before snorting. "A museum? That's lame."

Muffin scowled. "Shh! Don't interupt me! As I was saying.. My home life is okay,I mean,there are people with much more problems.."He nodded, listening to her ramble.

Suddenly Karin came up to them and snorted. "Sounds like you had no life." she snapped, still angry about being called a bitch.

Muffin dipped her hand in sugar again before she pointed out: "At least I admit it,duh."

Suigetsu snickered. "She has a point,you know."

Karin's face turned red before turning away from her. Muffin shrugged,before grinning. "She obviously needs more sugar."

Suigetsu grinned sharkishly. "Don't give her any." He said,snickering.

Muffin nodded solemnly. "Of course not! PMS plus sugar does not mix well."

Karin called from where she was,shaking a fist in the air. "What did you say?!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Karin. Shut up."

Karin blinked. "Huh? Sure, Sasuke-kun!"

From where Muffin was,she poked Juugo,who was walking along side Suigetsu,and was near enough to reach. "Jug-dude! Why are you so quiet?"

He shrugged. "Because." He answered tapped her chin thoughtfully,before pouting.

"Jug-dude,you won't get any friends with that kind of additude!"

Juugo tilted his head,confused. "..Friends?"

Muffin nodded. "Yeah! You know,friends? Geez,you people need to get out more. Why does Oro-hentai always keeps his prisoners indoors all the time? ..Wait,don't answer that." She coughed behind her hand. "Sasuke..Pedophile..Orochimaru.."She coughed again.

* * *

Somewhere far off, Melody laughed again. She suddenly had thought of Muffin-chan talking about Oro-gay-san and indoor prisoners and her response to that. But then, she wasn't psychic, so she didn't know that had really happened.

* * *

Sasuke, meanwhile, jad grown a anime vein, but it wasn't as noticeable as most people's.. 'Cause he was all emo and stuff. "Shut up! You know those rumors aren't true,hn.."He mumbled under his breath.

Muffin gave him an unconvinced stare before whispering behind her hand to Suigetsu. "_Denial_!"

Suigetsu snorted. "Sasuke isn't like that." He whispered to her. He knew, Sasuke was his friend. At least in his eyes. But he didn't want to tell Sasuke that. He'd heard Sasuke had almost killed his old friend for power. He didn't want to die... He sweat dropped.

Muffin snickered before whispering behind her hand,abeit loudly. "I know,but he doesn't need to know that I don't know that!" Muffin nodded happily,making Karin roll her eyes.

Suigetsu blinked. "..Huh?"

Muffin shook her head. "Nevermind. So,Suigetsu,what do you do for a living? You know,besides decapitating people's heads and stuff?"

He shrugged. "I used to do missions with my brother,Mangetsu,all the time. After he died,Orochimaru captured me. He was a bit weird,he always had pictures of ten year old boys taped to his bed post." He shrugged,making Karin sweat drop.

Muffin nodded in understanding. "Yeah,I know what you mean! I raised a pet rock named Fred,and he liked toast. But after this one kid stole my muffin,I threw Fred at him. I think he's still in a coma,but I lost such a valuable rock that day.." Muffin sniffled dramatically. Sasuke,Karin,and Juugo overheard the conversation,making the red head shake her head.

"I can't believe those two don't get creeped out by talking about these types of things.."

Sasuke shrugged. "Like I mentioned before, these girls are strange." he told her.

Karin gave Sasuke a suspicious glance,ignoring the detailed discussion of gory limbs the two were engaged in. She fixed her glasses,frowning. "That girl,.. Melody..Who was she to you Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke tensed. "Just a target." he snapped. He glared at the red haired medic ninja. He wasn't going to discuss his worry about her. Besides, he'd heard she was with the bloodthirsty demon Gaara. His jaw clenched angrily. '_Hn,damn panda man.._'Sasuke thought sourly.

Suigetsu tuned the depressed buttbow swearing boy into their conversation. "Oi,Sasuke! What do you think is much more disgusting? Crushed limbs,or rottening organs? Muffin thinks it's limbs,but dude,how should she know?"

Karin made a face. "Ew! They are both disgusting!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Does it really matter?" he snapped.

Muffin nodded frantically. "Uh huh! Of course it does! Hey,Jug-dude,what's your imput in this?"

Juugo shrugged. "Aren't they both equally disgusting?"

Muffin rolled her eyes,before pouting. "You people are so boring!"She whined.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Hn,this isn't suppose to be fun."

Muffin tilted her head,confused. "Ne,of course it's not. Why are you saying it is,Sasuke?"

Sasuke blinked. "But.. Hn.. Didn't you just...? Hn,whatever,nevermind.."

Karin rolled her eyes. "Well I think rotting intestines is more disgusting. Besides, living with Orochimaru you get used to seeing limbs." She shrugged.

Muffin dipped her hand into her sugar bag again,before mumbling under her breath. "I wonder what Melody is doing.."

* * *

About twenty miles away,a light brown haired teenager dragged her body through the trees of a forest. Melody huffed on the ground, her legs shaking. She was utterly exhausted. But she kept on wanting to go, despite her muscles suddenly spasm-ing when she tried to use them. She grabbed handful's of dirt and pushed herself onward. '_Have to....kill...that....bastard!_' She kept thinking to herself.

* * *

Karin fixed her shabby glasses yet again before responding. "I'm pretty sure she is about one third of the way there by now.." Muffin frowned. "..."

Suigetsu sighed. "You know, Karin, your pretty pessimistic..." He told her.

"And your not helping Muffin's or Sasuke's worry. In fact, I think it just increased ten fold." He rolled his purple eyes.

"Hn.. I'm not worried.."Sasuke mumbled unconvincingly,but nobody paid him any attention.

Karin scowled,"I'm just simply stating the truth,it's not my fault we are following this girl. We possibly won't be able to catch her at this rate." Suigetsu was about to reply to the red haired ninja before Muffin raised her hand to stop him. She glanced at Sasuke's direction before averting her eyes into his.

"Er.. She's kinda right.. This isn't getting us anywhere. We need a faster way to travel."

Sasuke stopped and looked at Muffin through the corners of his eyes. "Your planning on using your teleportation again, aren't you?" He asked, eyes narrowing. Suigetsu frowned.

Muffin pouted."Psh, no way. I know if I did that,I definitely wouldn't be able to get to Melody that way. I wouldn't have enough chakra to make more sugar,duh!" T

hey sweat dropped,before Sasuke pursed his lips. "Then what do you suppose we do?"

Muffin tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I dunno,don't you people have a backup plan,or do you always rely on the whim of the moment?"

Suigetsu sweat dropped. "Actually..." He started but stopped when both Karin and Sasuke gave him death glares. He fidgeted,coughing awkwardly.

Muffin tilted her head,confused. "What is it? You guys don't have a magical flying carpet,do you?"

Suigetsu blinked,"..Huh?"

Muffin laughed nervously. "Wrong cartoon.." She mumbled under her breath. She turned to the raven haired Uchiha,before scowling. "If there is anything to help Melody,why don't you use it?"

Sasuke snorted. "Hn."

Muffin pouted,before shrugging. "Hm,you are right,Sasuke.. Then again,what do you care? She is just another girl to you,right?" Muffin inwardly grinned evilly. She was gonna go with the plan, 'Make the emo mad and see where that takes us'. (She had just thought it up on a whim.)

Suigetsu looked at her incredulously. "You understand his hn's?!"

Sasuke ignored his outburst before turning to glare at Muffin with a heated gaze. "Hn,shut up.. You don't understand."

Juugo coughed. "You guys?" T

he duo ignored their surroundings as Muffin continued. "Yeah,sure I don't. But I do understand you don't care about Mel. Ne,she's right,you really are an ice cube!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Hn,hn,hn!"He snapped.

Muffin blinked. "..R-Really? You really feel that way?"

Juugo coughed again,only louder. "You guys?"

Suigetsu sweat dropped. "I still can't understand him.."

Juugo finally yelled in annoyance,which in itself was a bit out of character. "You guys! My woodland creature friends have found an object with the main target's scent!" They all blinked before Muffin broke the silence.

" Er..How do you know Mel's scent in the first place? Wait,never mind,it might have to do with Sasuke's stalker ways.. What did they find?"

Juugo frowned. "Some sort of deformed walkie talkie.." Muffin looked at him in held out his hand, as a bird flew down and dropped the deformed looking walkie talkie in his palm. He shrugged. "Looks kinda weird in my opinion. And what kind of a walkie talkie is blue?" He asked, shaking his head. Muffin grinned goofily, remembering the time Melody has sobbed over her now deformed blue LG zeon cellphone.

Sasuke shrugged. "Hn..The kind the target has,I guess. Which direction was it from?"

Karin took the blue deformed device from Juugo's hands before sniffing it. "North east,to the second longitude.. It seems to be a miscalculation.. She doesn't seem to be too far from here."

Juugo nodded. "The rain must've thrown us off course."

Muffin blinked. "It rained?"

Sasuke face-palmed himself. "Hn, yes it did." He snapped. He started to brisk towards the direction they were now heading in.

* * *

Melody had woken up again and had found the energy to walk again. Her eyes were dull and she had dark circles under them. She trudged on, slightly confused a little now. She wanted to kill Pein.... but why was she risking her health now? She should be resting.... But she felt as if she were being pulled by a string onwards.

* * *

Meanwhile..

* * *

All of a sudden the blue device started ringing a familiar anime tune,or at least familiar to Muffin. Suigetsu waved his arms frantically. "Look what you did Karin! You scared it from your ugly face,and it is mad at us now!" Sasuke rolled his eyes before taking the phone- before Karin could bash it apon the water boy's head, that is. Sasuke accidentally clicked a button,and voices came out of the speaker. Sasuke blinked,frowning,as he listened to the other end of the line.

"Hn? ...Hn,hn,hn. Hn." Sasuke turned to Muffin with a lost expression before holding out the phone to her. "It is something about Nola's pizza?"

Muffin shrugged. "Just hang up."

Sasuke shrugged and did so. Then he paused and asked, "What's pizza?"

Suigetsu frowned sadly at him,with his hand resting apon his now growling stomach. He pouted. "I wanted extra cheese.."

Muffin,still riding piggy back on his shoulders,patted his head understandingly. "Yes,yes,I know.."

Sasuke grew a anime vein. "..Hn,what is this pizza?"

Suigetsu looked at him thoughtfully. "It's a food.. Where they put alot of tomatos?"

Sasuke looked at him incredulously at mention of his favorite food. "...Hn?!"

Karin grew an anime vein. "THIS IS ALL NOT THE POINT! LET'S JUST GET THIS ALL OVER WITH SO I CAN HAVE SASUKE-KUN ALL TO MYSELF AGAIN!" she shouted. Everyone gave her a look. "Er... I mean.... um..." She blushed. Sasuke itched away from the potential molester before coughing and regaining his posture.

"Hn,she is right.. Let's go before we lose course again." They all nodded before they continued ninja skipping in the trees,towards the direction of the light haired girl.

* * *

Melody stilled suddenly. She felt something coming. She shook her head lightly. Ugh... I don't feel so well... she thought. Just then, she felt her hand reach into her pocket and grab a pill. No! she thought anxiously. But her mouth opened and she swallowed the pill against her will. She coughed, angry that this was happening. He had control over and that wasn't good...

She felt herself turn and stay still. _Crap, this is bad..._ She thought.  
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Karin called out to them,who was currently a few yards away from the group."I found a stable path! This should lead us to her directly!"

Suigetsu inclined his head to look slightly at the dark haired girl. "So.. What are you going to do after this?"

She tapped her chin. "Get sugar?" Sasuke kept quiet. He had his plans for the two girls. They knew Itachi and know that he'd finally killed the snake, he could use the girls to lure Itachi out. But he ketp these ideas to himself.

Suigetsu sweat dropped. "No,I mean after you get sugar?"

Muffin grinned at him. "Get more sugar,duh!"

Suigetsu fell anime style. "This is hopeless.." T

hey all followed after the red haired ninja,until Sasuke stopped abruptly. The entire group came to a halt as well,as Karin came closer to ask. "What is going on?" Sasuke looked around cautiously. "Hn..Don't you sense the other chakras?"

Karin fixed her glasses nervously before laughing sheepishly. "Yes! Yes,of course.."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "The Akatsuki base is more than likely less than a mile from here.." Sasuke knew what this meant; Itachi. But he wondered what was more important now: The girl or his brother. Sasuke shook his head. "We are going to change course,let's spilt up and report what we find."

Muffin scowled. "Hey! What about Mel?"

Sasuke glared darkly at her. "Hn,Melody isn't the top situation right now,and my brother could possibly be so close.."

Muffin rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't all six of us be a bigger match against Itachi than just five?"

Sasuke blinked,trying to sound oblivious when he asked. "Uh..Hn,what is so special about her?"

Muffin sweat dropped. "Er.. She has.. Super duper powers.. More powerful then Itachi? Boo?"Muffin lied,breaking in nervous sweat,hoping that they'll buy it.

Sasuke sighed,although not entirely convinced. "Hn,let's just get this over with.."

Karin scowled,getting a bit confused with all the talking. "Which course are we going on then?"

Sasuke nodded towards the original direction. "To Melody. Uh.. I mean,the main target,hn." They all nodded before continuing towards the course.

* * *

Meanwhile..

* * *

Melody waited expectantly. She could feel the something getting closer. Whatever it was, Pein wanted her to face it. because she couldn't willingly move or even talk. She knew that the base was severly close, a little less than a mile east, but obviously, Pein saw this as a threat and wanted her to eliminate it first. She sighed, wondering distantly what it was. "..." She hoped it wasn't Gaara going after her. She didn't want to hurt him... and Melody couldn't have possibly been that ridiculous to try and come and find her... Right? She sighed again,before fastening her pace.

Muffin watched the trees they ran past. She blinked,wondering how they managed to go so fast. '_They're ninjas,Muffin! Of course they are fast!_' Muffin thought to herself. Still sitting on Suigetsu's shoulders piggy back style,Muffin reflected on what Suigetsu said. She wondered what she was going to do. Muffin pouted,before running her fingers through her hair. What if Mel found Madara and Pain? What if she tried to fight him,and he managed to kill her? What if they didn't get there in time,and she accidently hurt herself?

What will happen if they _do_ manage to save Mel without major harm? She definitely wasn't going to stick around with team Hebi. Melody would cat fight Karin twenty four seven.. Muffin figured she could make a more quicker escape if she wasn't on the water boy's back. She sulked,because she enjoyed getting piggy backs,and most of all,without carrying her dead weight. Muffin sadly poked the water boy on the shoulder. "Hey,I think I have enough energy to walk from here.."

Suigetsu slowed and looked over his shoulder, still jumping perfectly and avoiding crashing. "You sure? I don't want you to trip and fall or anything..." He asked cautiously.

Muffin laughed sheepishly,glancing at the ground below. She broke in nervous sweat,realizing how high that was.. "On second thought,never mind." She decided that she will trip him and run when the time comes,or something of the sort. But what if Mel tries to fight Pain,and she-

"Sasuke!"Karin suddenly called from a few yards away. They all raced to the location of her voice,until they saw a figure in the upcoming fog.

* * *

Melody saw the approaching figures. Five. One was on another's back._ Shit! _Did Pein really think she could take on five ninjas on her own? She didn't even have full understanding over her freakin powers yet! Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the figure that barely stood right. Sasuke took notice of this person,so he took his katana out warily. "Who's there?" Melody froze. She knew that voice.

**_FUCK_**! She thought in hysteria. That meant four of the figures were Team Hebi. But who was the fifth? She still couldn't open her mouth to respond. Pein didn't trust her, apparently. Muffin scowled at Sasuke before face palming herself. She knew when people say those kinds of things in the movies,they're usually the ones that are gonna get attacked.. It's in all of the horror movies,duh! If not attacked,then something like that,she thought to herself. She heard a small rustle in the leaves,making her squint her eyes in the dark. "..." She blinked in realization,frowning.

"Er.. Melody?"

Mel's eyes widened as she realized the fifth figure was indeed Muffin. _No way! I sure as hell won't fight her, Pein!_ she thought desperately trying to move. But her body stayed still. Then she shifted into a defensive position. Her mind was foggy now. The figures were blotchy.... Who did they look like again?She squinted her eyes,before frowning. They looked like...Pein? Pein's five forms were trying to trick her? No, she'd kill the bastard!

Muffin watched the troubled expression on her friend's face. Muffin spoke up with a concerned tone. "Melody,are you okay? Eh,maybe she needs sugar.."

Sasuke frowned. "Hn,come on,carry her Juugo."

Melody glared. "I'll kill you!" she snarled. She removed her black knuckle cut gloves and threw them on the ground.

Juugo held his hands up defensively. "Fine,Sasuke could do it if you really want,geez."

Melody glared and thrust her hand forward, palms facing the 'threats'. Vines shot out of the trees towards Juugo and Sasuke. Sasuke dodged the vines with a bit of difficulty but still got out,but this wasn't the case for Juugo. Sasuke tried to look into her eyes as he activated his Sharingan before speaking to her. "Hn.. Melody,calm down." Melody glared and looked him dead in the eyes.

"Fuck you!" she yelled and then pushed her palms upwards. The branches they stood on started to squirm and then there was a second of pure silence before the branches started to grow and twist around their feet.

"Ah,crap!"

Muffin jumped back on Suigetsu's shoulders,causing the impact from the jump to make the water boy hit Sasuke,but nonetheless saving his life.. Kinda. Muffin blinked. "Wow,I half expected him to burst into water droplets.."

Suigetsu grinned sharkishly. "Nah,I saw what you were doing..Somewhat. But also-" Suigetsu didn't get to finish whatever else he was going to say for the reason he got knocked in the head by an upcoming branch. Muffin turned to Karin,gesturing towards Suigetsu.

"Oi,get him and drag him to safety,or something."

Karin scowled. "Why should I?"

Sasuke called from where he was with a threatening tone. "Hn.. Karin.." She pouted but complied,and went off to recover her team frowned. "You should go with them." he said to Muffin.

Muffin grinned. "It's okay Emosuke, I know how you care about our safety and all,but I'm fine and-Holy crap!" Muffin accidentally fell over a twig,making the emo avenger sweat drop. He rolled his eyes,not entirely convinced. The dark haired teenager stood up again,before laughing sheepishly. "I meant to do that! Heh, heh.."

Melody glared at the two remaining Pein's. She had water, air and fire still to her use, but she'd pretty much used all she could with earth. She still wasn't used to using all this power. She decided on using air. Mel's hand moved up, palms switching to face to the ground. She took a step back and took a deep breath. Then she twirled and breathed out, crating a larger wind. Her hands swirled together and pushed the air to the two ninjas. "Die, bastard!" she screamed.

"No, bad Mel!" Muffin tackled Sasuke by the bottom of his knees, much to his dismay. Muffin panted,before grinning. "Wow,that was so cool! Did you see that? I was like,'Whoosh!'" Sasuke,however,wasn't as excited.

Sasuke turned to the dark haired girl,scowling. He grew an anime vein. "Hn,hn,hn,hn!"

Muffin pouted. "How was I suppose to know that she could do that?"

Sasuke sighed,before shaking his head. "Hn,hn. Hn,hn?"

Muffin laughed nervously. "Heh,heh. No. I can only use my power to make things randomly appear,duh." Sasuke ignored this; evidence to this being when he suddenly threw her out in the open as fresh bait. She scowled. "Hey!"

Melody jumped and used her the water in the other Pein's tree. She collected all of it, making the tree shrivel under the other Pein's feet and then collected the water and formed a spear. She threw it at the falling Pein, the on the other Pein had thrown as a distraction. "I'LL KILL YOU PEIN! I WILL!" she yelled, furious. "ALL OF YOU,YOU LITTLE FUCK!"

Muffin tried to reflect her options: Eh,maybe dying and ending up in muffin land wasn't all that bad,she thought. She shook her head,trying to be serious. An idea formed inside the teenager's head,as she called out to Melody,who was busy throwing a spear at Sasuke. "Eh,no,bad Mel! I mean,uh.. Don't you.. Er.. Hate me? Yes,hate me! It's,uh.. Me,Pein!"

Sasuke facepalmed himself,before giving her an incredulous stare."Hn,hn,hn?! Hn,hn,hn! (Translation: What the fuck are you doing?! Are you trying to get yourself killed!?)"

Muffin slowly crept behind Melody, before speaking spookily with a flash light that came out of nowhere. "Hate me,Mel! Hurt me! It's me,Pain! Aren't you afraid I'm going to hurt those you care about?"

Karin watched the forming battle from a few yards away with observing eyes. "What an idiot..She's trying to lead her away. Doesn't she know that's not going to work?"

Melody spun quickly and rounhouse kicked Muffin in the ribs. "NO! YOU WONT HURT THEM!" she screamed, tears in her eyes. She threw the spear at the other Pein and then took a deep breath.

"Holy unicorns!"Muffin yelped,dropping the flash light.

Melody had seen both Sasuke and Itachi do this before, she thought maybe she should try.. _FIRE STYLE FIREBALL JUTSU!_ She then breathed out a huge ball of flames at the Pein she'd kicked.

With the wind knocked out of her,she watched Melody do the jutsu she least expected her to do. Well,there was still a chance that she'd do that... Muffin widened her eyes,before the scene was clouded with smoke. When it faded away,it was clear that Melody did do the jutsu,but not on the figure she expected. In the expected place of her figure was a log,burnt and crisp. Sasuke blinked,totally lost at what was happening. Muffin panted behind a tree a few feet away. "Note to self.. Thank fishy later."Muffin mumbled.

Melody jumped to the top of a tree, panting herself. Her throat and mouth was burnt an awful red. She'd never used that and Itachi had warned her that she shouldn't use it. She saw the log fall to the ground. Her eyes widened. She'd missed... How.. Could she have been 'Logged'?! She breathed out raggedly. Her chakra was getting low. Dangerously low... If she used one more elemental move, it might finish her off... She hesitated, glaring at the two Pein's.

Muffin was glad that Melody didn't use Chidori after all. She sighed in relief,but in the back of her mind she still worried about her. She shouldn't have used that fire jutsu. But at least it wasn't the chidori.. The jutsu was way too fast for anybody except those with the Uchiha bloodline. It could have damaged Melody's chakra,or worst,herself. Not only that,but it would've also almost deplete her from her chakra. Muffin sighed,before backing a bit more farther from team Hebi's location. She coughed,before speaking in the best Pain voice she could muster. Meaning it was pretty bad. "Uh.. Are you scared,Melody? Shaking with fear with the concept of facing me,eh?" She knew this would've possibly hit a nerve in her,but she needed to lead Mel away from team Hebi. _'I just hope she doesn't hurt herself..' _

Mel's eyes widened. "FUCK NO!" she yelled. Melody knew that murdering herself to kill Pein would be worth it. She located the voice and decided on using something she hadn't tried, although Pein had begged her to once try. He'd wanted it and now he was going to get it! She closed her eyes an concentrated. Storm clouds gatehred around them, lightning flashed. She called upon it and it flew to her arms. it crackled around them, burning her agian, but she didn't care. She wanted Pein dead. Finally, she concentrated all the electricity on her right fists. She jumped and punched the tree the Pein was hiding behind. She forgot all about the other. She hoped this was the real one. She sliced through the tree and then stopped. She sputtered, her chakra now completely gone. The electricity flew through her whole being now that she'd lost control, electrifying her. She coughed and then fell, eyes rolling into her head. "I... failed..." She mumbled.

Muffin's eyes widened,before running in her direction and kneeling down. She quickly checked her pulse in her wrist,but started to freak out when she realized there was no response. She didn't notice she was still breathing,though,because she started panicking. "Melody! Melody! You have to wake up! If you wake up.. I'll, I'll.. Uh.. I'll get you ramen! O-Or,I could tell you my real name! Hell,I could tell you my evil cousin's real name!" She frantically tried to help her friend gain consciousness,but when she realized it wasn't working,she shook her head. She felt her face getting wet,and she didn't need to be a genius to know what it was. "Mel.. Mel? Melody...."

Sasuke came down from his tree. He was watching her with close eyes. "She's.. A bit strange. Are you sure she has no ties to a ninja clan?"Sasuke asked,raising a brow.

Muffin wiped her runny nose with her sleeve. "No,okay? So,can you leave,or something? Besides,don't you want to find your brother?"

Sasuke paused. "I will find him. But it'll be easier with you two with me. Besides, Melody needs medical attention. Karin is the only medic nin around right now." he said, trying not to show his own concern for the light brown haired teenager. He went over and picked Mel up, throwing her over his shoulder. "The body can live a few minutes after being electrocuted like that. I should know." he said over his shoulder. "Come on, Muffin."

She stood up and followed him,frowning. Her stomach felt empty._ 'What if Mel's...?_' In the faint backround,she thought she heard dramatic music,but ignored it. '_Stupid dramatic music..'_ She thought sourly. They eventually found the group's campsite,where Karin was tending the wounds of the now conscious Suigetsu and unconscious Juugo.

Suigetsu frowned at the body that Sasuke had slung over his shoulders. "Eh,Sasuke,is she going to be okay?"

"Karin, get over here. Now." Sasuke snapped, ignoring Suigetsu. Karin scrambled over. Sasuke dropped Melody and looked at Karin. "Heal her." he commanded.

Karin looked at Mel's limp body. Karin gave the limp body a disgusted face before she pouted,trying to look seductive as she whined,"But Sasuke! I thought it was going to be just you and me.. Let's forget about her and...Oof!" Karin was cut off by the sudden jerk in the face that made her fall backwords.

Muffin glared at the red haired ninja. "Shut up."

Suigetsu grinned wolfishly. "Ha ha! Karin got owned!"

Karin got up from the ground before frantically going over to tend Muffin's friend's wounds. Karin put her arm to the girl's mouth. "First off, she's gonna need chakra to survive. She's completely out." she said. "Sasuke, make her bite me." she said, taking complete command of this. Mainly because she didn't want her ass kicked by Muffin. Sasuke complied and grabbed hold of Mel's jaw and pushed it upwards. Karin yelped. "THIS GIRL HAS FANGS!" she yelled in pain. Suigetsu chuckled at that. After a minute, Karin withdrew her arm, breathing a bit hard. "There, she should have enough to survive.... But I can't do much about the burns... I'm not a complete medic you know!" she snapped.

Muffin glanced at her unconscious friend,who's chest was now back to normal heart beat. She sighed in relief. Melody was alive. Muffin glanced over at the Uchiha,wondering what he was thinking. There must be some type of ultimate motive,there usually always is.. Because cartoon characters were like that,duh.

She narrowed her eyes at Melody's hand bag,remembering the pills from before. Without much warning,she went over and snatched the bag without anybody noticing. Well,anybody important,Muffin thought as she ignored the suspicious look of Karin's. Muffin opened the bag,feeling a bit strange going through her stuff. After a while,she came across it and read the label,trying to observe the pills.

Sasuke was staring at Melody. He was observing the many burns on her arms, throat and mouth. Lightning and fire... plus earth, air and water. She could use every element to her advantage! Then there was Muffin. A girl who could make herself and another things appear out of thin air. A slow smirk spread across his lips. He glanced at Karin. "Tie her up, Suigetsu get Muffin."

Suigetsu frowned,"But Sasuke,we need to rest.. They need to rest. Are you sure we can't rest for a litte while longer?"

Karin rolled her eyes as she started wrapping the light haired girl in tight ropes. "Shut up,Suigetsu! Just go and get your little friend."

Suigetsu scowled."Shut the fuck up! And Juugo? We can't carry him." Sasuke gestured to the now conscious Juugo,who stood a few feet away petting a bird.

"Just do it, fish brain!" Karin snapped at Suigetsu. "Sasuke-kun _is_ the leader of this team and you have to obey!"

Suigetsu sighed. "Sheesh,I was only asking. Don't get your panties in a wad." He said with his hands up defensively,as he walked away to get the dark haired girl.

"Darn it,these stupid things won't break!" Suigetsu could recognize Muffin's voice from few feet away,as he looked at her confused.

"Er.. Muffin?"

Startled, the girl yelped,almost dropping the capsule of pills. "Huh?"

Suigetsu sweat dropped. "Come on, let's go."

She blinked."Er.. Go where?"

He shrugged,not really knowing where Sasuke wanted to take them. "Somewhere."

She blinked,"Where?"

Suigetsu scowled,annoyed,but stayed quiet until they returned to the campsite,where Sasuke was waiting for them.

* * *

Meanwhile....

* * *

Sasuke was waiting in the tent. He'd made Karin go get firewood and food and water, although she was reluctant. Melody was lying down on the other side of the tent. He'd put a wet cloth on her forehead and some wet cloths on her buns too. Just then Suigetsu and Muffin walked in. He smirked. "You weren't trying to run off, where you? Hn?" he asked.

Muffin shook he head. "Nope! But it doesn't seem I'm the only one doing suspicious behavior."

Suigetsu chuckled. "She's got you there." Sasuke coughed,his knowing smirk wiped from his face before backing away awkwardly.

Muffin grinned. "What is it Sasuke?"

Sasuke's face hardened. "Suigetsu, hold her in case she tries to escape." he snapped. Suigetsu blinked before gently grabbing Muffin's arms. Sasuke smirked. "As to your question... You and Melody are staying with us, Muffin. Itachi will come to you, I believe. He would have seen the electricity and felt Mel's power. And I have a feeling he likes you too." He smirked, seeing the scowl on Muffin's face. "So, your staying with our team." He finished finally, making Muffin raise a brow.

Muffin pouted. "So, that means it's not optional, right?"

They both sweat dropped until Karin suddenly made her appearance,logs in hand. "Ugh,I never knew logs were so hard to cut.."

Suigetsu snickered. "..."

"No, it's not." Sasuke said calmly in response to Muffin. "Karin, where's the food?" he asked, not looking away from Muffin.

Karin sweatdropped. "Er.."

Sasuke stopped his gaze from the teenager to glance at the red haired ninja. "Hn,well?" He sighed as he saw the blank expression from her. "Hn,sometimes I feel like I'm surrounded by idiots."

Muffin smiled evilly. "You don't say."

Melody stirred and groaned. "Ugh... I feel like pudding.... Pudding with nerve endings... pudding in .. _GREAT PAIN_!" She started whimpering.

Sasuke's eyes flickered towards Mel and then back to Muffin. He shrugged. "Hn. Is she always that annoying?"

Suigetsu sweat dropped."..."

Muffin nodded happily,"Yep! But you get used to it.. Eventually."

Sasuke frowned before shaking his head. He turned to his group of now six,before speaking,"We will eat later.. Now,we travel. Hn,let's go."

Muffin pouted before turning her head to Suigetsu. "When he says later,does he mean..?"

Suigetsu scowled,"He means,like,after dark."

Muffin fell anime style. She pouted again. "My stomach can't wait that long! I wonder if I can make sugar again.."

Just then, Melody's eyes slipped open only the tiniest bit. "Muffin-chan? Gaara-kun? Naruto-nii?" she called out softly. She wished somebody was here. All she could feel was burning... her eyes were fuzzy. or maybe that was her vision. she wasn't sure. She wiggled her fingers. At least she had control now...

Suigetsu looked over at her. "Eh, Muffin, I think your friend is awake." he said. "I'll go distract Sasuke so you two can talk." Then he walked out of the tent.

Muffin tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I knew I always liked that fictional character.." Muffin kneeled down to Melody's eye level before grinning at her friend. "How do you feel? ..Wait,you don't need to answer that,you probably feel like crap. Er,not helping,am I?"

Mel smiled a tiny bit, but it hurt because her lips were burning like hell. "Eh, kinda. Where am I?" she asked.

Muffin rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "In the middle of somewhere,I suppose. We are kind of.. With Team Hebi..Erm,look,sugar!" And truth be told, a few feet away appeared a bag of the white crystals that she so adored.

Melody frowned. "Why are we with Sasgay, Karin-slut and Suigetsu?" She asked slowly. Last thing she remembered, she'd been fighting Pein... When had Team Hebi come into the picture?

Muffin sweat dropped. "Actually,for a while.. You see,I kind of transported away from Naruto-nii,Gaara,the whole gang.. And instead of running into you,I ran into SasUke. And he didn't give me much of a choice anyway,because I didn't have enough chakra to fight against him and stuff.. Er,how are you?"

"...Burning." Melody finally responded. "Is Pein dead?" she asked, wondering if she'd killed him before she'd passed out or not.

Muffin looked around nervously for a distraction;If she told her that he was still alive,would she go after him again? Well,she thought,that was kind of obvious. As if on cue,Sasuke entered the tent,still engaged in a conversation with Suigetsu. "Hn,no! I do not write emo poetry and.. Oh,Melody is awake."

"Oh _God_... Muffin, knock me out again! It'll be better than seeing Sasuke's ugly face!" she cried fake anime tears. Sasuke glared.

Suigetsu chuckled. "Oh, I like her too."

Muffin grinned. "But I'm still your favorite though,right?"

Suigetsu blinked,"Huh?"

Muffin sweat dropped,"Er,nevermind.."

Sasuke rolled his eyes,"Get up,and get ready. We are leaving in a few minutes." Melody gave Sasuke a blase look. She sighed. "Ya know, I'd love to, but I'm kinda handicapped at the moment. From ya know, being **_BURNED_**!" she yelled, growing an anime vein.

"Oh, I get it now!" Suigetsu exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "Yes, Muffin, your still my fav." Muffin jumped up and down,clapping her hands,

"Yay!"

Sasuke glared at her, before narrowing his eyes at the bag of sugar in her hands. "That explains so much,hn.."He mumbled before turning to the anime veined Melody. He shrugged,"It'll heal."

Melody glared. "Your such a bastard you know that?" she snapped and tried to sit up. But when she tried to put pressure on her hands to push herself up, she gasped and fell back down. "Damn that hurt!" she snapped. She glared at Sasuke. "See that, Mr. Ice Cube? I can't fucking move!" Sasuke scowled at the new nickname,before snapping back at her with a lack of comeback,

"Shut up, hn."

Juugo entered the tent,bags occupying his hands. "Ready to leave?"

Muffin shook her head. "I really doubt she can walk,besides,don't push her. She might kill you." She said casually,before nodding happily.

"I will!" Melody snapped. "Once I regain use of my hands...." She sweat dropped then. "Whenever that is..."She muttered.

Sasuke sighed,shaking his head. "I don't have time for this."

Juugo put the bags down once again. "Don't worry,Sasuke. The base won't go anywhere,and Itachi won't either." Muffin held her breath. Partly for the reason she never got to that part to explain to her friend. Which part,you ask? The part about being used as bait to find Itachi,that's what.

Melody paused. "Say again?" She asked tightly. Anger leaped in her heart. Abruptly she tried to calm it by taking deep breaths and then slowly letting them out. "Please tell me I heard wrong, Muffin..."

Muffin laughed sheepishly,"Um,look at the time.. We better go,right Suigetsu?"

Suigetsu blinked,"Um,what?" Muffin laughed nervously again,before attempting at dragging him and Juugo away to avoid the wrath of Melody.

"MUFFIN YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW BEFORE I BURN YOUR BUTT!" She snapped. The trio of Juugo,Muffin,and Suigetsu ran out the tent faster than the speed of Kakashi's chidori.

Sasuke was all that remained,as he narrowed his eyes at he before frowning. "You should calm down. She was worried about you." '_Hn,and so was I..'_ Sasuke thought to himself silently._ 'Wait,no I wasn't,hn!'_ He thought sourly,wondering where the hell that came from.

Melody gave him a look. "You scare me. Go away." she snapped. "And I know Muffin was worried. I ran off alone to face Pein the leader of the Akastuki. What best friend wouldn't worry?"

Sasuke sighed. "Don't you think you're being a little immature? What are you,sixteen?"

Melody glared. She was fifteen but she wasn't going to admit it. Besides, she'd be sixteen in a month. "Oh, shut up. I may be immature at times, but I'm better than you are. I don't betray my best friends and village for fucking power." she snapped. Anger sparked in her chest, along with the usual hurt.

Sasuke smirked,"You seem angry,you should keep your emotions better in check." Sasuke sighed before debating either to comply and get out,or stay here and get information about her out of her.

Melody glared. "Shut up, Mr. I Got A Stick Up My Ass! At least I _have _emotions!"

He glared darkly at her,for her excessive usage of nicknames on him;Well,not excessive,but annoying,he thought. He bit back. "Hn,don't go there,twerp." Then he rolled his eyes. "Hn,ninjas aren't supposed to have those things.." He smirked as he watched back,looking at her fuming.

"Yes,they are, dumbass. Because even Itachi has feelings. You, on the other hand, must be a defective." She snapped.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her. "...Hn,I never told Muffin or you my brother's name is Itachi. Besides,you do not understand.." He turned away from her,sulking in his emo corner as he took a long pause.

"That's because I already knew, SasUke. I spent time with Itachi, and Muffin fought with him. He's kinda like a brother to me to, you know. He helped me when Kisame kicked my ass, gave me a piggy back ride all around the base," Although, she recalled, she'd threatened him about putting random rubber duckies in his room until she couldn't anymore. "So _don't_ tell me that I don't understand. I understand a _lot_ more than you do, to be honest. You're the one at loss."

Sasuke looked at her in surprise. "..Hn? Wait,why didn't your friend tell me about this?" He gave an annoyed glance at the shadows of the other team mates out side of the tent.

"How the hell am I supposed to know? It's Muffin we are talking about, nobody can predict what she does and why." Melody scoffed.

Sasuke shuddered and nodded in agreement."..Hn. (Translation:Well said.)" He coughed as he regained his composture. "Hn,just a question.." He looked at her hopefully.

Melody was wary all of a sudden. "Nani?" she asked, giving him a weird-ass look.

He gave her a cold stare before mumbling,"Why do you hate me so much? It's not because I'm emo,is it?"

Melody dropped all her emotions and gave him a blank stare. Her heart was hammering. "Because." she answered monotoned.

"That is not an answer."He pointed out, being a smart ass. He scowled when he got no direct reply.

Melody sighed, realizing he'd only just bug her until she told him. She decided on the half truth. "Because, you hurt my nii-san so deeply,dumbass. You betrayed him and everyone in the leaf. You've tried to kill Gaara once before. You betrayed everyone who loved you for power, Mr. Ice Cube. And that hurt them-" she stopped there, knowing the rest of the truth was her own business.

Sasuke was at a lost for words,so he just completely dropped the subject. Before sulking out of the tent,he told her. "Go to sleep,Melody." As the tent flaps that made it's doors closed,Sasuke frowned. How did she know all of this,he thought with a scowl before settling down to go to sleep himself.

Melody sighed out a breath. "Damn, get a hold of yourself Melody!" she snapped at herself. She'd been so close to letting the truth slip. Letting her most deepest secret slip. Then she sighed again. "You can come out of hiding now, Muffin."

Muffin smiled slightly before coming over to sit at the side of her friend's bed before sighing,"You know, Suigetsu is very cute when he sleeps... Um,that wasn't creepy or anything to say,was it?" She sweat dropped before shaking her head,"You okay,Melody?"

She sighed. "No, it wasn't. You just like him, that's all.... Nothing's wrong with liking someone, right? Because sometimes it just passes! And besides, you might like somebody a bit more!" she laughed nervously. Then she frowned. " _That_ sounded weird..." she sighed. "Yeah, I'm ok. Apart from the burning, at least."

Muffin smiled evilly at her friend,"...Like somebody more?" She laughed before frowning as well,"Can we talk? You know,about what happened?"

"Of course. Because I'm a little lost." Melody nodded just the tiniest bit.

Muffin glanced around suspiciously."There aren't any creepy stalker people around,right? Because stalker creepy people don't like sugar,duh!" The dark brown haired teenager paused,before continuing on with her speech,"It's like vampires to garlic."She nodded happily.

"No, Sasuke is in another tent across camp." Melody stated dully.

Muffin blinked. "I never said Sasuke.." _Stupid unicorns_, Muffin thought sourly. "So,what are you confused about? Why don't you tell from your point of view after you left Gaara's?"

"But Sasuke is the main stalker here." Melody pointed out. "Anyways, I left Gaara's and started to run. I kept on thinking on how much I wanted Pein dead. There were sometimes when I laughed and thought of funny thigns, but then I'd go right back to feeling the hate. That drove me so fast, but as soon as I reached the forest, the exhuastion hit. I got so tired... but I kept on going. I crawled even. I passed out once and then woke up and dragged myself onwards. It was like somebody was pulling me, which I guess Pein was. Then I stopped, felt a threat behind me... unwillingly took a pill.. And after that everything is a little fuzy. I think I was fighting Pein... and I got hurt... and then passed out. Then I woke up here..." Melody relied what she could remember.

Muffin blinked. "Er.. What would you do if Pein is dead?"

"I'd feel satisfaction, I guess. it wasn't in my rightful place to kill him, but maybe it's a good thing. I mean, Danzo wont get to be Hokage!" she laughed lgihtly then started to cough.

"Er,lay down,you would feel better. But.. What if he were alive,Mel?" Muffin started to absent mindedly pick each of the sugar individually and stack them into a pile of sugar again.

Melody thought about it and finally sighed. "I don't know. I'd feel a little angry that he'd been controlling me with the pills... I'm assuming you know. I'd still want him dead... but it's Naru-nii's place to kill that bastard, not mine. I'd patiently wait to pat nii-san on the back and treat him to ramen. Yeah... that's what I'd do." she smiled.

Muffin sighed in relief,her breath spreading the white crystals across the floor,more than likely going to make it sticky. "That is good then.. Because.. Er.."

Melody tensed and then sighed. "He's not dead, is he?" she breathed.

Muffin shook her head. "No... And you weren't fighting Pein." Her fingers were idly picking through the bag again as she said this.

Melody hit her head against the ground. "Fuck. Please don't tell me..." She trailed off, hoping she was wrong...

Muffin smiled slightly,not looking up from her sticky,addictive, somewhat drug. The sugar in her hands poured down her fingers again,some dumping into the bag,and some on the tent. "Actually,it was Sasuke,Suigetsu,Karin,and me. Heh,heh.."

Melody's eyes widened. "Oh my God Muffin! Please tell me I didn't hurt you! God, I didn't mean it! Fuck!" she started to yell the last part.

Muffin shook her head before smiling tiredly. "Nah,just some.. Bruises. It's getting late,you should get some rest,dude. Er.. You don't want to wake up to Sasuke on PMS,especially in the mornings.." She shuddered.

Melody nodded. "Oh... Hmm... Night, Muffin... Wait! If it was you then I heard you! Tell me your real name!" She said, but Muffin had already dashed out of her tent. "Good night!" Muffin called from outside of the tent.

Melody laughed,before shaking her head. Melody glanced over at her blue phone,realizing the light was still on. 'Eh? How is that possible? I never turned it on! Unless people were playing with my phone..' Melody scowled,before trying to turn it off. After five minutes of continous button pushing,the light remained,and her efforts were useless. _'Fuck this,I'm exhausted!'_ Melody closed her eyes,before tossing on her side. She sighed inaudibly,before entering a dreamless sleep.

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**Tears: Yay for the update!**

**Honorable mention to NOF, who drew us FANART! It's on the blog, go check it out!**

**Oh, and Grace, if you wouldn't mind, _please_ PM me or Bittersweet the person you'd like to interview and the question you are asking that character. Thank you.**

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****EDIT:**

**Tears: Ergh.. uh, thanks for re-reading!**


	24. Chapter 23

**Tears: Really late chapter... My only reason? I was lazy. Yup yup... Pulling a Shikamaru. So here's Bittersweet.**

**Bittersweet: Hey,Bittersweet here. Here's the new chapter! (Throws confetti.) So,Kaka-sensei,what's your favorite scene in the story?**

**Kakashi: (Is too absorbed in his book to listen. Flips a page,then blinks.) Huh? Oh,you meant me.. My favorite part? Hm.. How about a scene I'm in?**

**Bittersweet: (Sweat drops.) But.. You haven't been introduced yet,and.. Um,Kakashi,are you listening? (Cue cricket sounds.) ... (Sighs.) Well,here's the chapter! We would appreciate it if you'd review,too! It makes us happy. Muy happy. (Nods vigorously.) But,besides that.. Please enjoy! **

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Chapter 24

Melody woke up in a yelp, having just had a nightmare. Or... at least a dream flashback of the fight. It was horrible. How could she have done that stuff? She sighed and realized she could move a bit better but it still hurt a lot. "Ugh, I still feel like pudding!" she whined.

"Hmm, I expected you to heal at the same rate as Naruto..." Sasuke said from behind her, not fazed that it was obvious he was kind of watching her in her sleep. Melody gasped and looked at Sasuke with wide eyes. A slight panic flew through her. He'd been watching her? Wow, she hoped she hadn't mumbled in her sleep. She had a tendency to do that sometimes... Mel calmed down and even forced a small smile.

"I may be his imouto, but I don't heal as quick. Although we both have the same personality."She smiled for real slightly when thinking of her nii-san.

Sasuke sighed. "Hn.. That is a disappointment.." Sasuke sighed before standing up and turning to her. "Hey, you know your friend? Just a question? Hn, does she always latch and cling on other people claiming they are fictional and hot?"

Melody grew an anime vein. "HEY! I AM _NOT_ A DISSAPOINTMENT! Gaara-kun says that I am very bright and have an amazing potential." She grinned, knowing he never really said those exact words. Eh, oh well, she just didn't want to let the IceCube feel satisfaction. Then she chuckled, remembering the other part he mentioned. "Yeah. You learn to love it."

Sasuke raised a brow,before shaking his head."Well,I can tell Suigetsu loves it." He shook his head before frowning. "Hn,you know the Kazekage personally?"

Melody blushed. "Yes, I know Gaara personally." Then she gave Sasuke a look. "And you know him because you almost tried to kill him once." She rolled her eyes. "You're lucky he didn't sand coffin your sorry ass... I would have, heh heh."

He scowled. "Why would somebody need to tell you you are amazing, bright and potential machine for Uchiha babies, hn? Oops... Hn,did I say that aloud?" He face palmed himself, wondering why he was thinking these thoughts. _Shun_, he thought sourly.

Melody grew an anime vein. "I"M NOT A FUCKING BABYMAKER! MUFFIN KICK HIS ASS FOR ME! DO IT! DO IIIIIIIIIITTTT!" Melody started screaming. The sounds of shuffling feet became apparent in less then thirty seconds, they were greeted with Karin, Juugo and Muffin riding piggy back style of Suigetsu, not really giving him a choice in the matter.

Muffin grinned. "..You rang?"

"KICK SASGAY'S ASS! HE TOLD ME HE- UGH! I'M NOT A FUCKING BABYMAKER! KICK HIS ASS! _SOMEONE_! PLEASE!" She was still throwing her anger around, and suddenly the tent caught fire. Suigetsu quickly put it out though.

Muffin tapped her chin thoughtfully,before tilting her head,"How about we give him a trial first?"

Suigetsu sweat dropped,"A trial?"

Muffin grinned,"Yep! What do you say?"

Sasuke frowned,"I don't have time for thi-"

Muffin held a quiet gesture as she held her index finger to her mouth. "I wasn't asking you, accused! I was asking the victim if she is pressing charges, duh!"

"HELL YES!" Melody shouted, still angry. Unfortunate for Suigetsu, who kept on having to put fires out because of her anger. Suddenly a jury like setting appeared suddenly, with Muffin behind the gigantic desk as the Judge, Juugo as the lone juror, Karin as Sasuke's lawyer, and Suigetsu playing Melody's.

Muffin cleared her throat before speaking. "We are gathered today,because a victim was assaulted verbally,and the abuse is not denied by the accused.. Anything you wish you say?"

She nodded quickly,"I AM NOT A FUCKING BABYMAKER!"

"I didn't say that!" Sasuke exclaimed,but his voice was drowned out by the banging of Muffin's gavel.

"Order in the court, little sugarless people! ...I call Juugo to the stand!"

Karin blinked. "You can't do that.."

Muffin pouted. "Shh! He doesn't know that.." She turned to Juugo, who was now seated at the said stand. She coughed,"So,where were you when this awful thing take place?"

He spoke,scratching his head. "Um... with you and Suigetsu and Karin..."

Muffin shook her head,frowning slightly. "A likely story! And what was I doing exactly,with Suigetsu when the event took place?"

"You were telling him he was a hot fictional character and he was confused, but then you jumped on his back and demanded a piggy back ride race with you on Suigetsu and Karin on me. Karin refused though and you two got into an argument." He said, kinda confused. Didn't she know this already?

Muffin coughed awkwardly. "Um.. Guilty! Take him away!" She hammered her gavel frantically, but Karin coughed loudly.

"He is only a juror,you idiot. You can't do that."

Muffin blinked. "Oh,right.. State your case,Suigetsu.."

Suigetsu sweat dropped. "I'm here today,your hono.. Uh.. Muffin,to find that the accused is not guilty of saying those things.."

Muffin raised a brow. "On what grounds support your theory?"

Suigetsu shrugged. "He's way too emo,for one. Secondly,that is way out of character.."

Muffin blinked,confused. "...?"

"EH! I THOUGHT YOU WERE ON MY SIDE!" Melody yelled and then sighed. "Oh get away from me, I'll be my own lawyer!" she snapped. "First off, I'd like to say that he did in fact say it. I have proof." She nodded vigorously.

"Really? Well then,call yourself to the stand to show this evidence!" Muffin said,smiling evilly along with her friend.

Karin fixed her glasses. "Y-You can't do that! This is ridiculous!"

Muffin banged her judge's hammer once again. "Order in the court! Melody,please.."

Melody glared over at Sasuke and then brought out her blue deformed LG Zeon. She'd accidentally put it on record before she'd fallen asleep last night and it had played everything. She fast forwarded through her mumbled sleep words to the morning. "Here it is your honor." Melody grinned at her friend and pressed play.

_"Why would somebody need to tell you you are amazing, bright, and potential machine for Uchiha babies? Oops.. Hn, did I say that aloud?"_ Sasuke voice was crackly on the recording but it was none-the-less his voice. Sasuke stood up from his seat,not liking that the tables have turned. "Hn,I object!"

Muffin stuck her tounge out. "Guilty! Case closed." Muffin clapped her hands twice and the stuff disappeared,the gavel,the robes,the seats. The entire shabang was gone,and back to a normal camp site. The original team Hebi glanced around,dumbfounded at the sudden sight. Muffin grinned. "What?"

Juugo blinked. "What just happened?"

Suigetsu shook his head. "Dunno,no idea."

Melody struggled as she walked over to Sasuke and pushed him, although it hurt her hands. She didn't wince though, she held it back. "Don't fuck with me, Asshole." she snapped, smug that she'd won. He'd think twice now before calling her a potential babymaker! Then she started to walk away only to stumble and fal to her feet. "Dammit." she muttered.

Muffin sighed and attempted at helping her friend up. "Here,let's get you to your tent."

Suigetsu frowned with a sad face. "But she wouldn't be able to see Sasuke getting pounded though! And,uh.. Possibly record it for blackmail usages when I am low on water bottle suppiles?" He smiled sheepishly.

"Hell, I wanna see Sasuke get pounded first." Melody said. Then she pouted at her best friend. "Please?"

Muffin pouted. "Fine.. Here,how about you sit over here? That way,you get a better angle at blood,you know?" Muffin grinned as she set her friend down at a nearby tree,before handing over her bag of sugar to her friend. She sniffled dramatically. "If I don't make it back,please take care of it,okay?"

"Sure thing. But I'm pretty sure you'll come back. And I'll burn his ass if he so much as touches you. Kay?"Melody smiled. Oh, she was going to love this!

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Hn.. This is so stupid."

Muffin stuck her tounge out again as they walked to the middle of the open field. "You are just jealous you don't have nobody to say goodbye to!"

Sasuke scowled."Hn."

Melody grinned."Just don't kill him, Muffin!" Mel called out.

Suigetsu gave her a look. "Why shouldn't she? I though you hated him?" He asked.

Melody grew a blank expression. Then she coughed and rolled her eyes. "D-Duh! I just want to shove it in his face later!"

"Oh, okay!" Suigetsu laughed.

With a evil glint in her eyes,Muffin replied. "I will try to..But no promises."

Sasuke snorted. "Hn..You aren't even much of a match. Besides,you don't even know how to fight."

She pouted. "..Nani?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes again. "I saw you fighting with Melody. Hn,your posture is bad,even for E-rank level. Although,your tactics make up for that.."

Melody narrowed her eyes. "Oh, fuck no! Kick his ass, Muffin! Kick his _ass_!" Melody shouted, throwing popcorn at Sasuke and booing. Suigetsu laughed at his team mate's misfortune,while Sasuke sulked.

After a few moments,Sasuke cracked his knuckles before doing a bunch of hand seals. He suddenly disappeared with a poof of smoke. Muffin blinked,wondering which way he would more than likely to attack. "What the crap? How'd he do that?" It wouldn't be long range,so he isn't above her.. So that must mean he is below her,she thought,confused. Suddenly a pale,white hand grabs her ankle from the ground,the dark haired girl yelped,

"Ah! Oro-hentai!" Sasuke sweat dropped from under the ground.

Melody glared and concentrated on the hand, willing fire. The hand instantly got red as it burned. "Heh,heh.. I told you I'd burn if he touched you."

"Hey! That's cheating,hn!"Sasuke said,scowling,while clutching his burnt hand.

Suigetsu sniggered.

"So?" Melody asked and chuckled. "You cheat all the time, Mr. Ice Cube."

Muffin shrugged,and while Sasuke was distracted with his burnt hand,Muffin decided to go with the shins. And so,there she kicked. Sasuke frowned as he fell on his bottom,before calling out to Melody. "Hn! Don't call me that!" His frown thinned deeper,disliking the sudden nickname..

"I CAN CALL YOU WHAT I WANT, OROCHIMARU'S BITCH!" She laughed maniacly.

Sasuke frowned before turning to his opponent. He slowly got up,his frown deepening. He raised a brow. "That's it,hn?"

Muffin suddenly advanced,making him narrow his eyes.. Until she tackled him from behind the knees. Sasuke turned around to dodge it,and swiftly he did,but didn't expect it to be a clone. The real Muffin held a kunai to his neck,and grinned. "Yay,I win! Hehe,it's a great accomplishment though,'cause,well..I never win at anything."She nodded happily. Sasuke twitched as Melody laughed.

Melody just grinned. "HA HA! YOU LOSE! NOW WHO'S THE LOSER? YOU ARE OROCHIMARU'S BITCH! NOT NII-SAN!" Melody was having fun now.

Sasuke scowled. "Orochimaru's bitch,hn?" Sasuke rolled his eyes,while crossing his arms. "You think that is losing? Psh." He activated his Sharingan before disappearing in a flash.

Muffin blinked. "Um,where did he go?"

Suigetsu shrugged,"Maybe he left to write depressing poetry?"

Melody's eyes widened and she jumped out to the battlefield. "I'm gonna help now." Melody grinned. "Back to back?"

Muffin nodded happily to her friend. "Yep! Back to back.. Besides,going against the Sharingan alone is like,suicide,duh! Well, Itachi's anyway.."

Suddenly Sasuke appeared behind Melody before whispering creepily behind her ear."You really sure about that, hn?"

Suigetsu grinned,chugging down the popcorn. "This is like a movie!"

Melody shivered suddenly but suppressed what she knew she would have done if she hadn't stopped herself. Damn, how could she almost do that? Gaara was her sugar buddy! She turned quickly and acted like she was going to roundhouse kick him but then quickly changed her mind and started to kick him 'where it hurt'. Sasuke fell to his knees, but suddenly dissolved into nothing.

Muffin pouted. "A clone? Aw,man.." She whined.

"Damn, I had the perfect line to say and everything!"Melody whined,too. Melody sighed and put her hands on her hips, wincing lightly, and pouted.

Muffin grinned. "Don't worry. The real Sasuke is out somewhere... and where the real Sasuke is,is Sasuke junior."

Suigetsu sweat dropped at the sudden comment,before crossing his legs protectively..

Melody grinned. "I get to do it, because he verbally abused me. Kay?"

Muffin nodded. "Yeah,sure! Help yourself."Muffin said before cracking her knuckles. Melody suddenly grinned and held out her hand. The ground trembled as roots from nearby tree shot out of the ground, surrounding her and Muffin protectively. Three obvious clones of Sasuke,- '_God,three times the buttbow!_'Melody thought, shuddering- came rushing towards them at that very moment. Muffin grinned,before saying a line from South Park. "They are coming right towards us!" She kicked one the same way her companion did moments before. She smiled evilly. "You are right,it is fun!"

Melody cackled evilly as the roots took out the other two. "Oh come on, Sasuke-emo, you can do better than these genin tricks. Although, you technically still are a genin. I guess it makes sense, no?" she asked Muffin,chuckling. Then she winced as her throat burn burned. She wasn't completely healed.

Muffin nodded thoughtfully. "You are right,it does." The said buttbow man smirked as he casually came out of the trees,disarmed. Muffin stared at him in confusion. "Eh?"

Sasuke smirked even more at the two,before activating his Sharingan. "Hn,are you familiar with a lot of Genjutsu?"

___'Shit.' _Melody thought and quickly closed her eyes, opening the earth senses to her avaliableness. She hoped Muffin had closed her eyes too. She could see Sasuke through the earth. Well, not really see him, but feel him and where he was. "Muffin?" she asked quietly.

Sasuke suddenly whispered in Melody's ear yet again,making it seem all creepy. "I didn't think so, but I was seemingly mistaken.. You seem to recognize my techinque. Too bad your other friend didn't, hn.."

Suigetsu sweat dropped. "It's creepy when he does that..."

Melody shivered again and closed her lips together hard to stop what she knew would have come. Instead, "Fuck you." She whispered and kicked the clone. Clones were lighter than the real him, which was still by the tree. She let the roots drop and grabbed Frankie. "Remember Frank?" she chuckled. "Yeah, I realize it was you. Did you know that?" she asked.

Suigetsu sweat dropped,"You named your sword Frank? Why not something cooler?" The clone of Sasuke's sweat dropped.

Muffin wasn't particularly in a bad genjutsu,per say. She was grinning, looking dazed. "Fictional characters..!"

Melody sweat dropped. "Oh God Sasgay! What did you do? Give her a _dirty genjutsu_? God, that's just like you." She would have rolled her eyes if they'd been open. She turned her head towards Suigetsu. "His name is Frank_ie._" she corrected and ran a finger down the katana blade afffectionately.

Sasuke rolled his eyes,despite the fact she couldn't see the gesture. "Hn,I don't decide on Genjutsus.. Besides,it is suppose to be driven by fear."

Suigetsu sweatdropped,"That doesn't seem like fear.."

Melody chuckled. She then got into a defensive position, katana raised. "Come on Sasgay, I'm waiting." Sasuke blinked,before smirking. He slowly took out his kantana dramatically,hearing Metallica music in the backround. He sulked. _'Dammit,hn. I wanted My Chemical Romance,hn..' He_ turned to face her direction,and nodded. Melody watched him through the earth, watching as he shifted towards her. She smirked and waited. She might have an advantage if he moved first. Sasuke was already familiar with fighting via sword. Besides,this girl just got her katana! What damage could she do? But with his boosted ego and self esteem,the emo boy paid no attention to this and attacked the light haired girl first. He was a bit surprised when their swords clashed.

"Okay,that was different,hn.."

"You're such an idiot." Melody said and swiped her foot outward to try and trip him. She then tilted backward and tried to undercut him. She wasn't really going to hurt him... She didn't want to. But she wanted to show him he didn't want to fuck with her.

Sasuke smirked,not letting that happen. Or,so he thought when her blade went close to slicing him. He scowled,his ego bruised a bit. "..Hn."

"What? You don't think I can defend myself. I'm insulted, Mr. I Got A Stick Up My Ass." Melody chuckled and then threw a few hard throws with Frankie. Sasuke raised his brow. _Definitely not just an average swordsmen,_ he thought. Sasuke scowled as he dodged another blow.

"Hn,where did you get your sword again?"

"You gave it to me, dumbass. Don't you remember? In the alley before I met the Akastuki?" she shook her head lightly. He really _was_ an idiot.

"Oh,right,hn.."Sasuke said,sweat dropping. She dropped to her feet and tried to slice at his ankles. Sasuke was getting a bit careless,he realized,as he jumped out of the way at her attempt of slicing his ankles. He rolled his eyes,trying to regain his coolness from forgetting this detail. "Hn,how did you know? And geez,hn,do you know how _hard _it it to stalk someone?" He added the last part accidently,before holding both of his hands over his mouth,trying to keep it shut. Thus giving Melody the advantage.

She kicked him where the sun don't shine and when he fell to his knees she pretended to really try and throw a slice at his neck. She stopped just as it lightly touched his neck. "Gotcha. Now nobody can be your babymaker, you little fucker." She laughed and then walked over to Muffin. She opened her eyes and rolled them. Muffin was drooling. "WAKE UP! SHIKAMARU IS RUNNING AROUND SHIRTLESS!" she yelled.

Muffin has succumbed to cuddling with Suigetsu's leg while in her genjutsu. Suigetsu sweat dropped."Oi,Sasuke,did you undo it right? 'Cause,er,no offense,but she's kinda annoying.."

Sasuke scratched his head. "Hn,yes.." Muffin held her index finger to her lips at Melody,before winking and going back to cuddling,pretending to be in the genjutsu.

Melody smiled and walked away. "Eh, SasUke, I get bragging rights. Kay? Kay." she said and smirked.

Sasuke scowled. "Psh,I,uh.. Let you win.."

Karin suddenly appeared in the scene and blinked. "How the hell did you guys get so hurt so fast now?"

Sasuke frowned,before folding his arms across his chest. "Karin,say that I won."

Karin raised a brow. "Won?"

Sasuke nodded. "Just say it,hn."

Karin fixed her glasses,"Uh.. You win? So,Sasuke-kun,what did you win?"

"NO HE DIDN'T I DID!" Mel shouted, angry anime vein pulsing on her forehead.

Sasuke smirked in triumph."See,hn?"

Melody screamed and huffed. "I TOLD YOU I WOn-" And then her voice gave out and Melody emitted a silent scream. Her throat was burning a lot now. _Shit magnets!_ she thought angrily.

Karin sighed. "If you speak again,you are going to damage your throat.." Sasuke smirked even more if that was possible,before retiring in his own individual tent. Melody flipped Sasuke off as he walked away. _BASTARD!_ She yelled mentally.

Suigetsu sweat dropped at both the light haired girl that was temporarily mute and the creature latched to his leg. It was cutting his circulation off.. He shuddered. Karin moodily sat on the log next to her water induced team mate,a bit cranky that she couldn't get away with molesting Sasuke with that other girl in the tent. Melody pouted and walked over to Suigetsu. She gave him a look and then looked at Muffin. Then she breathed out a long breath similar to a sigh and walked briskly into her tent.

Karin glared into the skull of the light haired girl's,hating and despising her only because Sasuke had her attention. Mental electricity tension radiated from her,making her aura and atmosphere dark and envious. Melody pouted as she walked into her tent. She felt Karin's glare but ignored it. She hated that she'd lost her voice. She wanted to tease Sasuke more. She loved that he was so sulking because she'd beaten him. She plopped onto her sleeping bag and crossed her arms over her chest.

Juugo smiled at his woodland creatures,petting them and calling them affection pet names. "Hello,my youthful friend the squerriel!" He made his cloak look like a type of shawl as the wind blew by,as he called out to his woodland creatures. "Hello,my furry friends!"Karin, Suigetsu and Muffin sweat dropped. He coughed at being so out of character,before regaining his usual sulk and turned away.

"I'm going to go look for food. See ya." she snapped and stalked off.

The small animal on Juugo's arm chirped,making him frown. Juugo blinked. "What was that,my youthful friend? There are bears out there?"

Suigetsu snorted,"So? Let the girl get what she deserves.."

Juugo nodded to his new recuits,ignoring what his team mate said. "Yosh,take care of Karin! Otherwise,all the air she has breathed from the forest will have been a waste!" They all saluted the tall bulky man before scattering off. Muffin cudded more,instead of cuddling from the leg,she now latched onto his waist. Suigetsu shrugged,confused with the people that he called team mates and with the huggle monster latched to his waist.

* * *

Melody was still sulking in her tent. God, she hated this. She'd tried to use Fireball Jutsu, a seemingly _easy_ jutsu, but then it burns her throat! And now she couldn't brag! It was hopeless. She pouted.

* * *

Karin sighed,trying to dodge all of the branches and leaves that kept on making a habit to latching onto her hair or her clothes. She growled while glaring at these strange little animals that kept on following her,"Stupid woodland creatures.."

* * *

Sasuke laid on his sleeping bag or his makeshift bed. He frowned,finding himself twisting and turning,unable to fall asleep. Sasuke growled,"Hn.." He sighed,pulling the covers over his head,trying to ignore the guilt and return to his emo thoughts.

Melody could feel the emo tension from over in the next tent. She glared, trying to sleep herself. But it was impossible with the emo aura in the near by tent of the emo boy with the horrendous buttbow. She got up and stomped outside to bang on his tent. She crossed her arms over her chest, eyes narrrowed. "..."

* * *

When Karin finally did find a source of food,she was relieved. She didn't need to walk anymore,or get harrassed by village animals! Happily walking towards the direction,she didn't take notice of the gigantic bear hole next to the pile of food,before it was too late. Juugo cheered,"Huzzah,my woodland creatures!"

* * *

Suigetsu chuckled and then sweatdropped as Muffin wrapped tighter around him. "Um... Muffin?" he asked.

She coughed awkwardly,but still pretended to be asleep. '_Oh crap..'_Muffin thought,breaking in nervous sweat.

Suigetsu sighed and then walked to Muffin's tent. He splashed into water to get himself off, making sure not to get her wet, and then reformed a few feet away. He then sneaked away, zipping the tent back up.

* * *

Juugo danced around the whole,ignoring the yells from the red haired team mate. "Hey,Juugo! Get me out of here,you asshole!" She frowned when her yelling did her no ail.

* * *

Muffin shrugged and sighed. She sat in her twisted on her make shift bed uncomfortably,a frown edged on her face. The teenaged girl was now snoring lightly, thinking of a recent event..

_Flashback  
_

_Muffin pouted,staring at the dark wood of her prison cell door. "...Where is Melody?"Muffin mumbled under her breath. Suddenly,the sound of a door slamming open asounded the air,as a figure slipped through. The random person seemed to be a ninja,by the sound symbol on his head band. Muffin blinked. "Where is Melody,random ninja person?" The man ignored the nickname the younger teenager bestowed apon him. "She is,as of now, being questioned by Kabuto-san.." _

_Muffin raised a brow,trying to understand the big words she couldn't comprehend. "..Oh. But,er,since you're here,can I have some sugar? Because sugar is good for you,duh." He scowled. "No,I have to question you on some things.. Can you do that?" She nodded happily. "Sure!" He cleared his throat. "First question.. How old are you?" She grinned goofily. "Going to be five this October!" He gave her a strange stare before writing down something on his clipboard. "..What is your name?" _

_She smiled innocently. "Muffin." He twitched,"..That must be your nickname,I'm sure?" She blinked,confused. "My what?" He frowned. "You know,your nickname.." She tilted her head,giving him a quizzical stare. "My what?" He clenched his teeth. "The shortened version of your first name." Muffin blinked. "..Name?" _

_He growled before throwing his arms in the air. He stomped out of the cell room,shutting the gigantic door behind him. The dark haired teenager shrugged,folding her arms across her chest. She smiled innocently,before humming a small tune. "Somebody has issues.."_

_End flashback..._

Muffin snuggled within her fluffy pillow,before turning over on her side.

* * *

Melody ground her teeth and wondered how to get the emo-reeking boy's attention. She slammed her fist into the tent side. It ended up going 'poof' as the air wooshed out of the tent and it flew backward. She blinked. _Um... Oops? _She thought, twitching as she withdrew her fist... There, in the middle of the tent, Sasuke lay, sleeping with a frown on his face. Mel blinked and then slowly itched away. _Emo's don't see with their eyes, they sense emotions... so if I just keep calm... Wait- calm! When the hell have I ever been calm! RUN!_ she thought.

* * *

Suigetsu sighed. He definitely disliked Karin. No- he hated her guts. But he knew how edgy Sasuke has been for the last twenty four hours,ranging from his brother being so close by and the appearance of the two, somewhat annoying to the emo boy, teenage girls. Suigetsu knew if he lost a team mate now, the raven haired teenager might rip out all of his hair. And Suigetsu did, in fact, like his hair. So, that is why he decided to find the bitchyness that is Karin, for the sake of his Uchiha friend...and his hair.

He scratched the back of his head when he came across what seemed to be a mini crater, before his eyes bulged out of his eye sockets. He started to laugh his ass off when he saw the red haired medic fuming inside the 'dark hole she must've crawled out from' as he put it.

Karin scowled. "Shut the hell up and help me out, fish brains!"

Suigetsu just couldn't stop laughing though. He bent down and examined Karin inside the hole. "Now how'd you get down there, Karin?" he asked, struggling to hold in his laughter. Karin grew an anime vein.

"JUST GET ME OUT!" she shouted.

Juugo,now about a good fifty feet from the scene,mumbled under his breath to his woodland creatures. "..Yes. No,actually,I like Susan Summers much more. Yes,the woman who plays the lead character for Legally Blonde definitely has class for her poodles.. No,I don't have a pair of pink pumps.."

A blue parakeet chirped in distress,before gliding down to the nearby campsite. The bird swooped down before getting tangled in the mess of tent wires,wondering which idiot of this group set this tent up. Before long,the bird managed to get flung into the dark confines of the lining,before entering the fold. It used it's beak to rip through the fold before facing a snoring figure,clutching a poofy pillow. A trail of drool leaked on the pillow. "..." The bird seemed to sigh,before pecking in annoyence at the ankles of the human.

What seemed to be a female yelped in pain, before sitting up from her slumber. She pouted at the bird. "..Did you do that? Maybe you need sugar,duh." The bird peaked the girl's ankles with it's beak again,before she held up her hands in defense."Okay,okay! What is it,woodland creature? It's obvious you need help,duh!"It tilted it's head,confused at the sudden comment. Muffin grinned sheepishly. "Well,of course,if a woodland creature somewhat manages to be stupid enough to fall into a human being's tent,they obviously need help! It happens in all of the movies,duh!"

After many cocks and pecks on the dark haired girl's head,she grumbled as she got out of her tent and let the bird lead the way to the seemingly threatening danger.

* * *

Melody panted in her room, hopeful that the emo boy wouldn't notice what she'd done. He was still sending out emo radiation waves, but she did her best to ignore it. Something shiny caught her turned and then realized it was... A.. _PENNY_! Wow, how had that gotten here? I mean, there were only ryo's here, no pennies... Maybe her and Muffin weren't the first to be transported by the plushy! No,that can't be possible. She sat there, turning the penny in her palm and staring at the shiny copper plated one cent coin.

* * *

Muffin attempted at avoiding all the twigs and branches that got in her way, as she struggled to keep up with the little bird. She pouted. "Ne, birdy-san, how much farther until we find this threat?" The bird ignored her and continued with it's flight, making the girl scowl in result. She sighed. "Sugar sounds good right now.."She mumbled under her breath. After about ten minutes,or what seemed to be the most torturous ten minutes Muffin ever went through that involved a strange bird, she entered what seemed to be a clearing.

She blinked. "Er.. Birdy-san,I don't think we are in Kansas anymore."

Suddenly,a female voice echoed from some unknown source. "..What's Kansas? But, hey, get us out of here! No, wait, forget fish brains, he can die for all I care! Help _me_!"

Suigetsu rolled his eyes, even if the red haired medic couldn't see it. "Ignore Karin,she is just on PMS." Muffin could hear crashes coming from the source of voices,but still blinked in confusion.

* * *

Melody sighed in her tent, feeling as she drifted off into her own sleep. She stirred and frowned as the blackness faded into the nightmarish images. Herself; arms flashing with electricity. She knew she'd looked like this before when fighting Muffin. It scared her to see herself with that maddening look. She shuddered in her sleep. Then she saw dead bodies on the ground and felt her body gasp. Gaara, Temari, Naruto-nii, Sakura, Hinata, Muffin, Sai, Kakashi, everyone she cared about... littered on the ground... Cold eyes laughed at her in the darkness.

She yelped and bolted upright. Then she swore. "Damn nightmares... can't get a wink of damn sleep." She looked around to make sure there was no emo-boy watching her. Then she tilted her head. "It's so silent... where is everybody?" she asked herself, heading outside her tent.

* * *

Muffin blinked, "Er… Okay, let me get this straight… Juugo and his animal friends thought it would be amusing if he trapped you two in this gigantic bear hole, that he somehow built in the time span of like, five minutes?"

The teenager heard the red haired medic sigh in frustration before she replied, "No, no… Actually, I think he wanted something else to be trapped in here… But the point is... can you help me out?"

Muffin tapped her chin thoughtfully, "What would I get out of this, talking bear hole people?"

She heard the said bear hole prisoner growl at the nickname, "Muffin, it's me, Karin. Stop playing games!"

Muffin clapped her hands happily, "Oh wow, it knows my name!"

Suigetsu sweat dropped.

Melody looked around the empty camp, in each individual tent too. Nobody. She sweat dropped when she saw Sasuke still knocked out, without a tent top. She crept away silently to go train where the previous fight had taken place, hoping that somebody would turn up soon. She sat down and crossed her legs, tapping into water in the earth and feeling around. She sighed, still wondering where everybody was and why they weren't here.

Karin sighed, deeming it hopeless before turning the white haired sword owner. She crossed his arms before looking at Suigetsu pointedly, "Do you have any ideas, fish boy?"

Suigetsu scratched his cheek before shrugging, "Why don't you try adding please to the end of your sentence… But, then again, you don't have one ounce of nice in your being, so that is basically impossible…" He didn't get to finish the rest of his berating of the red haired medic ninja, for he has reduced to droplets of water from the punch Karin sent his way.

She scowled, "Shut up, fish boy!" She sighed before clearing her throat; she fixed her glasses as she tried to gain the dark haired girl's attention from afar, "Muffin! Hey, Muffin!"

Muffin blinked before turning to her, 'new feathered friend',"…Birdie, did you hear something?"

Karin growled, "It's us, you idiot!"

Muffin raised a brow, "Oh! Ne, Karin, how did you get down there?"

Karin shook her head," Never mind that, just get us out of here!"

Suigetsu folded his arms before grinning slyly, "What is the magic word?"

Karin clenched her teeth, "Please."

Muffin smiled, "Oh, sure, why didn't you say so?" Karin sweat dropped in result.

Melody frowned as the earth soaked up strange chakra enhanced water for a second, but then it was gone and she didn't sense it anymore. She continued concentrated on manipulating the water currents in the ground. Itachi would have been proud of her.

Karin twitched incredulously,"…You mean you could've help us all this time, but instead you choose to just stand there?" Muffin didn't reply to the red haired ninja's comment right away, because she was finishing helping the white haired swordsmen from the confinement he was trapped in moments before with the medic ninja. He stretched out before nodded in acknowledgement; He took one glance at Karin before shuddering,

"Thanks, it was hell having to stand five inches near to that red haired demon…"

Muffin grinned goofily, "Well, no problem Sui! And Karin, you never asked, duh!"

Karin clenched her fist, "But..?"

Suigetsu sniggered, "She is right, Karin. You never really asked, but demand, didn't you?" Karin growled before throwing her hands in the air, and stomping off in the direction of the campsite. Suigetsu scratched his cheek, "Okay… Now what?"

Melody's eyes blinked open as she watched Karin storming out of the forest, steam trailing from her nostrils and horns growing out of her skull. Mel could have sworn she left three inch deep footprints as she stomped to her tent. She tilted her head, considered going over to talk to the medic, and then dismissed the idea. She'd wait for someone fun. She went back to concentrating on the air now.

Suigetsu folded his arms behind his head, "Okay, so the plan is to find Juugo, lead him back to the campsite, and avoid all other bear holes?"

Muffin nodded thoughtfully, "Positive… Negative!"

Suigetsu blinked, "Why negative?"

Muffin shrugged, "Because negative things need loving too."

He sweat dropped before shrugging in somewhat agreement, not really know what he was agreeing for, "Yes, they do, I guess."

Muffin tilted her head, "So, why can't we tell Sasuke about this?"

Suigetsu scratched the back of his head before a plan went through his mind; People like Muffin would believe this, right? Because he definitely couldn't tell Muffin that he was doing this for sake of the sanity of his friend… She might tell Melody, and they both could possibly plot, wouldn't they, he wondered. He held his index finger to his lips, before a glint flashed in his eyes, "It's, um, a secret…"

Muffin blinked," A secret..?"

Suigetsu nodded nervously, "Yeah, a secret… It's the… Secret game!"

Muffin tapped her chin thoughtfully, "I've never heard of the secret game…"

Suigetsu grinned slyly, "That is why it is called the secret game."

Muffin's eyes glowed in anime delight, "Really?"

Suigetsu nodded before eyeing the small lake besides them, "Um, yes… So run ahead, I'll catch up with you in just a second, I want to refill my water bottles." Muffin nodded happily, before almost practically skipping way from sight. Suigetsu wiped his forehead from nervous sweat as he sighed in relief," That was close…"

From now about thirty feet away, the dark haired teenager rolled her eyes, before continuing her search for the animal boy. She expressed some of the logic that was going through her head aloud, "Secret game? Psh, what am I, five? It's pretty obvious there is another reason… I mean like, swordsmen like sugar, but people who play the secret game don't like sugar, duh!"

* * *

Melody sighed and finally felt herself drain of more chakra. She stopped because she needed some for later. She smiled, jumped to her feet, almost staggered, and then straightened herself. She looked back at the then chuckled. Karin hadn't even noticed the Sasuke's-tent-mishap.

She smiled as she traveled into the forest. Unbeknownest to her, in the opposite direction of her three friends and in the direction of a unsuspecting sowrdsman.

* * *

Suigetsu drank from the lid of his now refilled water bottle, chugging down the water, and hopefully the thirst too. His dry throat didn't do him much good, he thought as he wiped his chin from the leaking water. He blinked, wondering what happened to his new team mate, and scratched the back of his head, "I told her to run along ahead of me, but damn, where did she go?"

Before Suigetsu could think of a straight enough answer, he accidentally bumped into a familiar light brown haired teenager. He laughed nervously, "Oh, hey, Melody… I didn't, you know, lose your best friend or anything of the sort…"

Melody blinked, using her newly regained voice. "Um... You lost Muffin? Oh well, she'll end up coming back by nightfall." Melody shrugged. She sighed and sat down by the water, twirling a finger through it. "Suigetsu! IM BORED!" she cried.

Suigetsu shrugged, before taking a seat besides the light haired teenager. Hopefully Muffin would find Juugo, and bring him back to the campsite before Sasuke noticed, Suigetsu tried to convince himself. He tapped his chin in thought before snapping his fingers, "Where is Sasuke?" Yes, he thought with a sly grin, he could try to convince her to distract Sasuke while Muffin finds Juugo. It's like, everybody wins, he inwardly snickered. But then he shook his head, knowing Melody hated Sasuke's guts; getting her to willingly talk to Sasuke is like leading a hurricane through a city, or something like that.

"Passed out in his... um... tent?" she sweat dropped, slowly itching away. "I didn't do anything! I swear! IDIDN'TMEANTIT!" she cried anime tears, talking very quickly now.

Suigetsu blinked, "You aren't serious, are you?" In his mind, he was practically rejoicing, you could say. Of course he didn't like his friend hurt and the sort, but he could use this to his advantage. He mumbled under his breath in relief,"…More time on my hands."

"More time for what?" Mel asked, very well at hearing. "Finding his tent?" she giggled then froze. "Um... woops?" she laughed nervously. She flinched away. "Don't hurt me..."

He inwardly grinned slyly, but kept a straight face when he turned to the light brown haired girl, before folding his arms across his chest, "I'm not going to hurt you Melody." _Muffin would kill me if I tried to, if I really were mad right now… _Suigetsu thought, shuddering. He sighed in fake disappointment, "But Mel, I thought you were more mature than that and stuff. You know what? I have an idea how you can make it up to me!" Melody perked up at this. Suigetsu grinned,"…Have you ever heard of the secret game?"

* * *

Meanwhile, about fifty feet away from the scene, a dark haired girl pouted as she let another feathered bird lead the way to her destination. "Er, ow much longer, friend of birdie-san's?" The new bird, a red color unlike the other bird's blue, ignored the teenager instead of showing some type of acknowledgment. After three minutes, the duo finally stopped in front of what seemed to be another bear hole. Muffin scratched her head,"…Is Juugo hiding in there?" The bird didn't answer her, but instead made an attempt to peck the teenager in the head. When the girl ducked, she fell forward instead, and fell threw the hole, giving the desired effect.

It was like she was going down the rabbit hole, Muffin noted. When she finally landed on her butt, her jaw dropped at what she saw. Juugo sat elegantly at a table, absorbed in a tea party surrounded by his animal friends. Juugo blinked, "Oh, hello Muffin."

* * *

Melody gave Suigetsu a WTF look. "The Secret Game? What the hell, Suigetsu. Do I look fucking six years old? Cause I'm pretty sure that I'm turning sixteen in a month!" she snapped, growing an anime vein. This was insulting. She didn't believe this crap! Who would? Not even Muffin would take this! She shook her head and crossed her arms, giving Suigetsu a dark glare. "Tell me the freakin truth and you'll keep the use of your freakin legs." she snarled.

Suigetsu laughed sheepishly,breaking a nervous sweat,"Okay,okay,I'll tell you.."

* * *

Juugo shook his head before gesturing towards an empty seat,and pouring a new cup of tea. "Muffin,please have some tea..Add some milk,or dip some oatmeal cookies.."

Muffin scratched the back of her head,"Um,that is okay.."

Juugo's eyes looked thoughtful before he shrugged,"Or sugar?" Muffin gave him a suspicious look before sitting down and towering over her cup of tea. Juugo sipped his own teacup,his pinky finger sticking out like a proper Englishman. "So,Muffin, tell me, how did you start using the nick name Muffin?"

She shrugged,while holding up a teaspoon full of sugar. She poured it into her cup,that was blinded in steam,before stirring it slightly. "Since the start of High School."

Juugo raised his brows as he watched her cautiously take a sip from her cup,"You sure it isn't because of any type of child hood tragedy?"

Tea abruptly sputtered from Muffin's mouth, she dropping the tea cup she held. "_Pardon_?"

* * *

Melody smiled. "Yea, that's what I thought." she said, chuckling. Her airy happy mood was back. "So, what's the truth?" she asked, leaning back and laying lazily on the shore. She glanced back at Suigetsu. "I'm listening, Sharky." she grinned.

He sighed in relief,glad that the dark aura the radiated from the light brown haired teenage girl was gone. He cleared his throat before starting his explanation, "Sasuke has been... edgy, lately."

"No duh." came Mel's dull voice. "I mean, he came close to his brother. Although I extremely disapprove of his stupid plan. And he's got us now, which has to be annoying as hell. So I can't really blame if he's off the wire." Melody sighed and traced a cloud with a finger.

He scratched the back of his head,"Well,yes,that pretty much sums it up.. So,that is why I wanted to make sure Sasuke doesn't stress himself too much right now.. And it didn't help when Karin kind of got trapped in the same hole she must have crawled out from and I would've left here there, because the bitch deserved it..."He grumbled under his breath the last part, before continuing,"But, for the same fact, I went after her,kind of fell in the bear hole myself.. And Muffin saved us?"

Melody laughed. "Muffin saves the day again. She's our hero." Melody was somewhat serious when she said that, but she wasn't sure if Suigetsu caught that. She sighed. "So what do you want me to do about this? I mean, the guy and I don't exactly get along." she rolled her eyes.

He shrugged, "No idea... But, I guess he won't be going anywhere for a few hours.." He gave a sly glance to the teenager, before snickering, "Seriously, I sometimes wonder if you did that on purpose."

Melody turned a dark shade of red. "I DIDN'T MEAN TO PUNCH HIS TENT TEN FEET AWAY AND INTO THE FOREST! He was just emitted this chilly dark emo waves and it got annoying and I was trying to get his attention because I couldn't talk before! But now I can! Maybe it was the training, brought back my voice... Anyways..." she sighed, taking a deep breath. "Do you want me to go distract him while he tries to find his tent or something? Make sure it's a living nightmare? Or want me to go find Muffin? Or knock Karin out? Actually, the last option is complimentary." Mel grinned.

He grinned sharkily, "I like the last option too." He shook his head,"But maybe you should find your friend?"

"And if I don't find her? What then? You have to think out every situation Suigestu-san. Otherwise, plans don't work out. If I do find her, what do I do?" she kept on babbling, finding it hard to stop.

He raised his hands up in defense,"I'm pretty sure Juugo didn't do anything to her... Yet. Oh yeah, did I mention he was the reason behind the entire bear hole mess? Well, I better check up on Sasuke, good luck!" Before the blink of an eye, he disappeared. Well, not really, because he just reformed his body into water before he gave the teenager the chance to strangle him. His water form splashed away from sight.

Melody glared and wished she could control his water to get back over here. But she was outta chakra and she couldn't. Besides, his water, because it was chakra enhanced, didn't give her control. He had control. Damn him. She sighed, jumped to her feet and walked into Muffin's last direction. "Muffin, where are you?" she screamed into the wilderness.

* * *

Juugo sipped into his tea,before gesturing towards the plate of warm oatmeal cookies. "Please, Muffin dear, have a cookie. They are freshly baked.." Muffin gave him a confused stare before shrugging and accepting the offer. He cleared his throat as he watched her observing the pastry. "If it isn't childhood tragedy that makes you use that name, is it the desire of an alter ego?"

As she was right about to bite into the softness that is oatmeal,she instead bit her tongue in surprise. She cringed,before clenching her fist uncharacteristically,making the cookie crumble in result. Juugo raised a brow at the obvious slip of character, before writing something down on his clipboard.

* * *

"MUFFIN! WHERE THE UNICORNS ARE YOU!" Melody screamed again. She sighed and crouched down. She put her palm to the ground and sent her chakra - or what she had left of it- flying through the ground. Muffin had walked in a twisted path through the branches. She rolled her closed eyes and then released her chakra from her hand, letting it stay in the ground until it expired. She followed the thick chakra trail.

* * *

Juugo smiled slightly before sipping from his fine china. "Are you getting riled up for the fact I pointed this out, or that I'm actually getting close? How does that make you feel?"

And just then, as Muffin was growing an anime vein, Melody fell through the rabbit hole. "DAMMIT! WHAT THE HELL!" She shouted, rubbing her now soar rump. She glared around until she saw the curious scene in front of her. "Um... What the hell?" she asked again, this time more confused though.

Juugo nodded in acknowledgement,before emptying one of his chairs,which was occupied with a stuffed animal. He gestured towards the seat, with a kettle of tea in one hand."Hello, Melody Char. I was expecting you, how do you do?"

Muffin calmed down suddenly, her frustrated face replaced instead with confusion.

Melody gave the chair a weird ass look. "Um... no, thanks. I'll stand. And you can just call me Mel, Juugo." She said, itching towards the dirt wall. She sent Muffin a look that pretty much read 'what the fuck's with him?'. Muffin shrugged.

Juugo sipped his tea. "Very well,'Mel'.. Your friend and I were just finishing our counseling session.."

Muffin blinked."I thought this was a tea party?"

Juugo shrugged. "However you want to take it.. You know,I think you are going into a denial phase,thinking you do not need help from a professional.."

Muffin scowled. "Bu- You aren't professional!" Muffin blinked thoughtfully, before pouting. "And I don't need counselling!"Muffin scratched her head. "Er..Do I?"

Melody snort laughed and then tried to hide it with coughing. "Yeah... Um... So... Suigetsu-san wants us to meet up with him at camp I think. But we have to be nice to Sasgay, the evil prick, because he's all 'stressed'." Melody rolled her eyes and used finger quotations on the word stressed.

Muffin grinned. "Well,you know what they say.. You can't be something you never were!"

Juugo raised a brow. "..Pardon?"

Muffin sweatdropped. "Yeah,let's go.. This place was stuffy anyway.."

Juugo frowned,"Okay,let's go.."

Muffin tapped her chin in thought before turning to her light haired friend."Um.. Where were you,Mel? Ooh,I bet you were looking for sugar,duh!"

"Um, no actually. At first... um... never mind..." Mel sweatdropped. "Second I was training myself, then I was talking with Suigetsu and fourthly I came to find you! No sugar was sadly involved." She frowned but then smiled. She looked at Juugo. "Juugo-san, how do we get out?"

Juugo took a last sip of tea before doing what seemed to be a genjutsu release. He pointed his index finger upwards,towards the celing above. "You need to-" Juugo was interrupted by Muffin's sudden input.

"Tap our heels and say there is no place like home? Hehe, I've seen that in a movie once."

Juugo shook his head, "Actually, I was going to say use the stairs.."

Muffin broke in nervous sweat before laughing sheepishly. "Yeah,I like that better too.." In front of them stood a small stair case,which the trio walked through,and trudged up the steps until they reached normal atmosphere.

Juugo frowned,"The campsite is a few yards from here.."

"Dude let's wait a bit... I'm... Uh..." Melody sweatdropped. She was somewhat afraid of what would happen when Sasuke saw her... With her wrecking his tent and all. Juugo raised a brow,but didn't say anything. He nodded before sitting down on a small tree trunk. Suddenly a blue bird glided above him swiftly before landing on his shoulder.

Muffin pouted,"Hey,it's that bird! That thing should have counseling,not me!"

Juugo blinked,"But,it is only a bird, Miss Muffin.."

Muffin twitched,"The thing is evil!" Juugo gave the dark haired teenager an unconvinced look,before writing down something on his clipboard.

* * *

A few yards away,a water based element user walked through the remains of what was his campsite. The only tent that stood normally was the one in between the rubble of ash, which he guessed to be Melody's tent, and the open space where Sasuke was, his tent was a few feet behind tangled in a tree. Muffin's tent seemed to be disfigured from it's original hanging, as if a forest animal broke through the lining. Suigetsu sighed as he glanced at the open space that had his Uchiha friend. "I don't get paid enough to do this.."Suigetsu mumbled under his breath.

* * *

Meanwhile..

* * *

"So, Muffin... um... Do you know what are we... going to do after we escape?" Melody asked, not afraid of Juugo hearing. She blinked cutely at Juugo. "Don't tell Sasuke, kay? I just want to get back to nii-san and Gaa-kun." She pleaded, using a soft and, well, melodic voice. Stars shined in her dark blue eyes. Her lip jutted out in a pout. She was using a complete anime puppy dog pout. "Please?"

Juugo sighed,the pout having worked on him. "I didn't hear anything.."

"Thanks, Juugo!" She cheered.

Muffin nodded gratefully at the tall orange haired man. She smiled evilly,turning to her friend. "Actually,now that we are on the topic..I never did ask.. What is between you and Gaara? Hehe, you two are sugar buddies, right?" Muffin tapped her chin. "As for escaping,I dunno.. Maybe we should trip him and run?" She shrugged.

Melody sweatdropped and blushed at the same time. "You could say that I guess." She sighed. She'd explain it all later, since really, she'd never had time before to explain. But not right now, with Juugo present to listen in. She shook her head. "We don't even know where we are though. We should wait until he mentions our position and then in the dead of night run off towards the direction of either Konoha or Suna." She nodded to herself.

It took a moment of silence for Muffin to think it over before nodding in agreement. "It sounds rational.. We should go for it,it is our only option,isn't it? You know how they say,as the plot thickens,right?" Muffin smiled slightly,"And maybe,before we go,I can ask Suigetsu to be my sugar buddy too!"

Juugo sweatdropped,"..."

Muffin blinked,"But.. What are we going to tell them,once we get there? We don't want to.. Reveal certain things.." She added the last part in a whisper,making it that only Melody could hear.

Melody nodded. "We're going to tell them that you found me and convinced me outta my ramblings and we went to Konoha to see Naruto-nii. We DO NOT mention my injuries and how I got them, Team Hebi or what took us so long." Melody said, her voice hard with determination. Juugo rose a brow behind them, just listening. Then Melody blinked. "You want to be Suigetsu's sugar buddy?" She asked, then started to grin madly.

Muffin nodded, herself grinning just as madly as her equally crazy friend, oblivious to the implication. "Well, duh! Shika is for Temari!"

Melody laughed. "So,it's a safe bet with Suigetsu. Right Juugo?" Melody asked, turning to the animal guy.

Juugo shrugged. "I guess."

Muffin raised a brow and blinked in confusion. She whispered behind her hand. "Wow,it's surpising how fast he can switch from woodland creature man to counseller to just Juugo.."

Juugo frowned. "I'm still here,you know."

"We know." Melody answered and nodded eagerly. She sighed and tried to peek through the tree. "What do you think Suigetsu is doing?"

Muffin tapped her chin thoughtfully,"Well,if he isn't annoying Karin like normal routine,he possibly can be drinking his water bottles.. I mean,like,there isn't anything that should occupy him,duh!"

Juugo raised a brow,"You'd be surpised how much Murphy's law comes in effect these days."

Muffin blinked,confused."..Who's Murphy?"

Juugo face palmed his forehead, before sighing, knowing that it was pointless to explain to the dark haired got that though. melody sweatdropped. "...Yeah... I know." She nodded at Juugo. Then, trying to be sneaky, she tiptoed to a outskirt tree and poked her head out to look at camp and see what was going on.

* * *

Suigetsu huffed,holding onto one of the remaining lining of the disfigured tent that surrounded the Uchiha,attempting at pulling the rubble away. But in result,he fell back on his rump instead, his efforts donated to a lost cause. Panting,he scratched the side of his cheek with a incredulous expression. He breathed, trying to catch his breath. "Geez, how much does this girl dislike Sasuke?"

Melody could hear him. She snorted. "A lot. But that wasn't on purpose!" She whisper yelled to him. Suigetsu looked around, clearly hearing her voice but having no idea where she was. "Over here, Sharky!" She said and blinked.

"..You aren't talking to the voices in your head, are you?" Muffin asked curiously. Then she rolled her eyes, before grinning."She's more than likely talking to them about sugar,thus not making her crazy,duh!"

Juugo raised a brow,"..."

Melody sent them a dark glare over her shoulder. "Oh, shut up." She muttered. She didn't like people thinking she was crazy. She was merely different... Yeah, she'd go with that. She sighed and looked back to camp. The disfigured tent was moving slightly. Mel sweatdropped. "Suigetsu, get back! It's awakening!" She whisper yelled.

Dumbfounded, Suigetsu suddenly dissolved into a thousand droplets of water, before the liquid disappeared into the ground. It took ten seconds before he reformed in front of the three,grinning sharkily. "Heh heh, I wonder how Sasuke will react.."

As if on cue, Karin took this moment to get out of her tent, wondering why the scene was seemingly deserted. She looked around before spotting the foursome and walking over."What are you all doing hiding in the woods? Where's Sasuke?" She asked the four.

Melody was itching backward, until finally she started to climb a tree frantically and hide among the branches. The branches twirled around her, forming a caccon. She was afraid. She didn't want him to kill her. Well, she knew she was probably being over dramatic, but still!

Suigetsu laughed nervously. "Well, you see... It's a long story..." he started, scratching the back of his head. Juugo just stared.

Muffin blinked at the disfigured tent across camp, before putting two and two together. Then she laughed just as sheepishly ,breaking in the same nervous sweat as every body else. "Actually, Karin, Sasuke had to go some where for a little while... Yes, he went somewhere.."Muffin managed to say,while eyeing the deformed tent,realizing what was going on now. Karin crossed her arms, giving the teenager a unconvinced stare. "Gone where?"

Muffin smiled slightly,"Er, his great great grand uncle Maddy's funeral?"

Melody narrowed her eyes, although nobody could see. "_MUFFIN_!" Melody shouted from her protective cacoon.

Suigetsu blinked. "Huh? I thought all his clan was dead? Disregarding Itachi." He asked.

Muffin whispered behind her hand to Suigetsu. "Shh! Karin doesn't know that! Or, at least she didn't.." Muffin gave the water user the evil eye, for supposely dooming them all. Muffin turned to her friend with a lost expression,before blinking. "Er,did I do something wrong? Oh.. Oh! I didn't mean funeral, I meant... Tea party. Yes, he had a tea party. He had a tea party with his.. Uh.. Saint.. Chuckle.. Fatty? Yes,he had a tea party with his saint chuckle fatty."She nodded a matter of factly.

Juugo blinked. "Didn't you just say.. Oh,forget it."

"Yes! TEA PARTY! SHE SAID_ TEA PARTY_ DAMMIT!" Melody yelled at Juugo from her safe haven. Suddenly, the Uchiha started to twitch. Muffled grumbled from across the camp. Melody whimpered. Then the Uchiha bolted upright, making the entire group to freeze breaking in nervous sweat once more. The Uchiha's voice was heard from the camp, his normal emotionless monotone replaced with a exclaimation. "What the hell?"

Muffin whispered behind her hand to Melody. "Run!"

The tree limbs huddled together more tightly. "I think I'll just act like I'm not here..." She whispered from a small opening that soon closed back up. She was hugging her knees inside the dim light of the cocoon.

Suigetsu was actually itching backwards too. "Damn, he looks really frustrated. I guess my plan didn't really work..." He whispered to himself. Suddenly, the Uchiha looked around, obviously confused. "Hn,hn,hn..?"He mumbled under his breath, making Muffin snigger at the sentence, causing the original team Hebi to glance at her strangely.

Juugo blinked,"What is he saying?"

Muffin started to laugh,giggles erupting from her chest. She clutched her stomach for support,but managed to let out. "He thinks.. He thinks.."

"Hm?" Mel asked softly. She was curious. He wasn't angry?

Muffin wiped tears from her eyes,before chuckling,which was a bit uncharacteristic for the usually more hyper girl. "He thinks that.. That he is.." She snickered,but continued when she saw the impatient glare of the red haired ninja. "He thinks he's a.. Fairy princess.. Definitely just woke up from a bad dream." Muffin nodded solemnly.

Melody's eye twitched from where she perched in the tree. "Why the fuck did he say he was a fairy princess? Do you think that just proves he's actually gay?" She asked, now laughing lightly.

Muffin blinked."Huh,you're right! Maybe I should rephrase that.. Maybe not a bad dream,but a good one,eh?" Melody sweat dropped with Suigetsu.

Sasuke,being the annoying little prick that he is,rubbed his eyes tiredly before turning the group,whose presence was obvious to him now. He walked over. "..Hn,what is going on?" He pointed to the wrecked tent,before raising one brow. "Karin,did you destroy this?"

Karin was about to shake her head,but Suigetsu strangled her in a head lock before giving her a nudgie. He nodded frantically,trying his best not to snigger.

"Yes,she did!"

Sasuke blinked,glancing at the trio that nodded frantically as well,before directing a question to the tallest member suspiciously. "Hn..Juugo,is this true?"

Juugo shook his head. "No." He answered truthfully. He never lied to his Sasuke, his savior. Kimimaro wouldn't have liked him lying to Sasuke. "Suigetsu probably knows though, since he's trying to lie to you." He answered. Then whipped out a clipboard. "How does that make you feel?"

Sasuke faced Suigetsu calmly,but with a frown twitching his lips. "..Why did you lie to me?"

Suigetsu,already having let go of the red haired medic,scratched his cheek."Um,are you mad?"

Sasuke remained where he was,replying in the same echo of a monotone. "Not exactly,hn.. But I don't.. Tolerate liars."

Muffin laughed sheepishly. "He wasn't lying! Actually,there is some truth to it! Karin could have indirectly cause that to happen,just for being there,so basically,they both are telling the truth! Right?"

Melody chuckled from her little knot of tree then clamped her hand over her mouth, trying to seem invisible. She hoped the Uchiha hadn't noticed. Quietly she strained to hear.

Suigetsu grinned,rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah,what Muffin said!"

Sasuke sighed,before shaking his head.. But dismissed the topic,deciding that it was a waste of time. "Hn,everyone,rest.. We need rest if we are going to find Itachi.."

Muffin blinked,"Um.. Just wondering.."

Sasuke raised a brow,"..Hn?"

Muffin tapped her chin,"Where is the nearest town?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the dark haired girl,it turning into a direct glare."..Hn(Why)?"

Muffin grinned,"Because,we need more sugar,duh! I can't make sugar appear everytime,you know.."

Sasuke blinked,"Hn..(Oh..)"

Melody let her tree limbs go back to their original positions. She jumped down from the tree, behind the Uchiha. "I don't need any rest. Can we just go?" she asked, antsy to find a way back to her nii-san or sugar buddy.

Sasuke smirked. "Hn,I agree." He averted his gaze to the deformed tents, now useless and beyond repair. "..Hn, don't we have three more tents, Juugo?"The tall woodland creature man,slash counseller,nodded mutely. "Hn,then get everything,and let's go."

Muffin coughed loudly. "Ahem.."

Sasuke raised a brow,"Hn?" Muffin coughed again,just a bit more loudly,making it obvious. Sasuke blinked,before rolling his eyes and turning to the tall man once more._ "Please."_

Melody smirked at her friend. "Muffin, you're amazing. You got Mr. I Got A Stick Up My Ass to say please which is, like, epicly unheard of!" She laughed. "But then again, no one thought I'd beat him at swordplay either, so I guess there is a lot of epic stuff that can happen. MURPHEY'S LAW IS NOT HERE AT THE MOMENT!" She cheered and then laughed again. "Sorry, I'm just happy I didn't get beaten up."

Karin raised a suspicious brow at the teenager's last sentence,but didn't say anything. It took around five minutes before Juugo gathered everything,and without another word,the group started walking. Muffin smiled evilly,a seemingly devious thought crossing her mind right now. "Suigetsu!"

He blinked,"Yeah?"

Muffin grinned,"Just wondering.. Have you ever heard about.. Sugar buddies?"

Juugo sweatdropped."..."

Melody started to chuckle under her breath. "Say yes. It'll make her happy." She whispered to her sharky friend.

Suigetsu nodded slowly."Uh.. Yes?"

Muffin smiled goofily,her evil atmosphere forgotten for the moment. She blinked innocently. "Er.. Are we sugar buddies?" Karin gave her a strange stare,but it was ignored by the dark haired teenager.

"SAY YES!" Mel whispered again.

Suigetsu nodded, more confident with this stuff. With Mel helping him, he was sure he wouldn't be an idiot! "Yes, we are!" He declared.

Melody sniggered and ran up front suddenly. "Good luck!" She called from behind.

Muffin chuckled,her chirpy expression replaced with a devious one once more,"..Do you.. Know what sugar buddies do?"

Suigetsu scratched his cheek,having no clue what to say,but answered anyway. "Um..Yeah?"

Muffin,her chirpy and bubbly face took over once more,before she clapped her hands happily. "Melody,I got a sugar buddy now too!"

Juugo raised a brow,"..Too?"

Mel blushed darkly. "Yeah... I already h-have a s-sugar b-buddy..." She murmured, stammering nervously. She rubbed the back on her neck. She sighed then, thinking of Gaara. How much had she hurt him when she'd left? She'd left him a note, but now that she was completely herself, she knew that that was cold. She sighed again.

Suigetsu blinked,feeling something tugging on his palm;Realizing that it was only Muffin,he rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. "Um,Muffin,what are you doing?"

Muffin grinned evilly. "Holding hands! I mean,er,for crossing the road.. You know,sugar buddy stuff!" She nodded matter of factly,causing the others to sweatdrop at the obviousness,and even more when Suigetsu bought it. Muffin blinked,glancing at her light brown haired friend. She whispered behind her hand,making sure that nobody can hear but the two."You okay,Mel?"

Mel turned to smile at her best friend. "Yeah, I'm just worried about my sugar buddy." she said lightly. Karin looked at the light haired girl.

"Who _is _your boyfriend?" She asked, plainly using the correct term instead of sugar buddy. Juugo sweat dropped and Sasuke ignored the lot of them, focusing on the path ahead.

Melody blushed. "Gaara..." She breathed, her blush becoming darker. She put Hinata to shame.

Suigetsu tilted his head. "The Kazekage of Suna?"

Muffin grinned. "Oi,Sasuke! Where are we going again?"

"Town." He replied shortly. He was ignoring all of their conversation. Why were they talking about this anyways?

Melody nodded towards Suigetsu. "Yes, the Kazekage. His name is Gaara." She rolled her eyes, as if this was obvious. "And he's the sweetest most greatest guy in the world, so if you say he's a monster, I'll have to kill you." She said over her shoulder, her tone normal. It sounded the same as if she was saying 'the sky is blue' or 'Muffin likes sugar, duh.' This made everyone sweatdrop.

"..."

Suigetsu shrugged,before holding his hands up defensively. "Just wondering,that is all.." Suigetsu reached in the back of his pouch for his water bottle. He took out the small bottle before untightening the lid,and chugging the liquid.

Muffin grinned evilly,before whispering behind her hand to her light brown haired friend. "So,does that mean you two went past first base,eh?" Suigetsu suddenly sputtered the water that he had occupying his mouth,causing the red head,tall man,and raven haired Uchiha to stare at him in confusion. Muffin raised her hands in defense. "I was talking her about sugar,duh,don't look at me.."

Mel blushed even more deeply. "Uh... Uh... Uh..." She looked down, staring at her feet and deliberately ignoring the question. "So.. Sasuke-emo... What do you think you'll do after you murder Itchy-san?"She asked, changing subject. Even if it was a subject she didn't like and already knew, it was better than the previous one.

Sasuke frowned,"..Hn,I don't know yet."

Juugo blinked,before glancing at Sasuke thoughtfully,"I think.. It might be safer if I travel with you,when this is over.."

Suigetsu grinned sharkily,"I'm gonna collect all seven swords of the seven swordsmen of the Mist.. Hopefully,I get Kisame-sempai's,I heard he is partnered with Itachi." The swordsman blinked."What about you?"

Mel was silent. "Muffin?" She asked, asking the same thing as Suigetsu. Muffin smiled slightly,a goofy smile taking up the expression of her face. "I'm going where ever you're going,Melody. Friends stick together,you know?" Sasuke tensed slightly,but doubted that it was noticed by anybody. Muffin grinned,before patting the swordsman on the shoulder. "But,don't worry Suigetsu! Wherever we are,we can still be sugar buddies,right?"

"Yeah! You can write letters! Oh my God, that would be so cute!" Melody squealed. She grinned. "Yeah! Best friends never leave the other! Thanks, Muffin!" she grinned and then looked at Sasuke. She notice he was tense now. She sighed. "Sasuke?" She asked softly. Her tone was nice and calm for once, everybody was surprised about how the girl was acting to Sasuke now.

Sasuke glanced at her warily,completely confused and maybe a bit lost. He blinked,as her looked up from where he was previously looking at. "..Hn(Yes)?"

"You know, sometimes friends stray away from the other... But the good thing about having a best friend... Is that they never give up on you! So one day, they will be together again. Because friends forgive the other, no matter what." She whispered. Then she glared. "So it's a good thing we ain't friends! 'Cause I'm never gonna forgive your stupid ass!"She snapped.

Suigetsu whistled lowly,also glancing at the surprised Uchiha before mumbling. "Ouch..I'm all the way over here,and I felt that!" Sasuke glared at him.

Muffin laughed nervously,before pouting. She brought up another topic in an attempt to change the tense atmosphere. "Hey,you never answered my question,Suigetsu!" Suigetsu blinked,scratching his cheek. _'There was a question?'_ He wondered, confused.

Melody started walking backwards, making sure she didn't run into a tree by connecting lightly to the earth. She grinned at the confused Suigetsu. "Yeah, Suigetsu, answer the question!"

Suigetsu sweat dropped; perhaps Melody wasn't going to help him from looking like an idiot after all. He scowled slightly, before laughing nervously. He started to improvise instead and he did that by agreeing. Whatever he was agreeing to,blanked from his mind."Yeah,Muffin.. Of course,I completely agree.."

Karin snickered,"Idiot.."

Muffin smiled evilly. She turned to Melody, and whispered behind her hand. "Hey,can we talk? Like,later?"

Melody nodded. "Sure. Of course."Distantly, she wondered what Muffin wanted to talk about. Suddenly-

"We're here."

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN! CLIFFY LIKE! Yups. That's the end of the chapter.  
**

**Mel: Damn, that fucker was hella long!**

**Tears: Huh? Wow, that's a lot of cuss words. What are you- turning into HIDAN!**

**Muffin: -snickers-  
**

**Mel: -deadpan- No.**

**Tears: -is doubtful- Uh, huh... Well, review! 3  
**


	25. Chapter 24

**Bittersweet: *Enters the imaginary writer's room and waves.* Hey! Here is the new chapter!  
**

**Naruto: *Blinks.* Eh, Bittersweet, doesn't Tears usually introduce the chapters, dattebayo? **

**Bittersweet: Well, she's on vacation.. So I'm doing it for her! *Nods happily.* **

**Sasuke: ... *Sulks and mumbles.* **

**Bittersweer: *Snickers.* But, besides that, please enjoy! Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

Infront of the group of five stood a small gate, which was made for a entry and exit for the village they had came across. Suigetsu blinked. "It seems a bit small.."He said, scratching his cheek. Sasuke shrugged.

"Hn,it's just for now."He explained. Melody rolled her eyes.

"It's fine, let's just get a room. Boys in one room, girls in another and Karin in a third, because she's something nobody has ever discovered or named yet." Mel said, nodding solemnly. Karin grew an anime vein.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU LITTLE PUNK!" She screamed, ready to knock the living daylights out of Melody. Suigetsu snickered, before grinning sharkishly.

"Now,now,Karin.. You know can't exactly deny the truth.."Suigetsu teased, sniggering from behind his hand. Sasuke sighed, already in another one of his moods. (But can be mistaken for PMS. )

"All of you,shut up,hn! We are going to rest here,and in the morning we are going to try to find any leads on Itachi. And then we will head out from there,hn. Any objections?"Sasuke asked, getting annoyed.

"No." Melody agreed, before she started to walk into town. She squinted towards a particular building,before speaking. "Look, there's a motel. Let's go." She said, taking a lead. The group of ninjas walked into the lobby, taking notice that the entire first floor was empty excluding the hotel clerk and hotel manager. The hotel clerk's eyes were dull and disinterested until they landed on the raven haired Uchiha. The woman beamed, before gaining her composture.

"Hello! How may I help you today?"She chirped. Melody pushed Sasuke towards the back, glaring at her.

"Two rooms. No bullshit." Melody snapped. She didn't want to deal with girls going all googly eyes for the dumb Uchiha. Melody rose a brow. "I'm waiting." She said darkly, suddenly smiling evilly. Right now, she was using the trick Gaara had taught her. "You don't want to keep me waiting..."Melody said, before chuckling lightly. "Bad things happen." Wind burst through the door, slamming it open. The attendant sweat dropped and shakily started typing away at her laptop. She shakingly gave the two motel room cards to the teenaged girl,a bit scared under the glare the girl was given.

"R-room o-one s-seventy six and o-one seventy s-seven,second floor,hall t-to the right."

"Arigato!" Melody said happily, giving the girl a happy smile. She then walked up up the stairs towards their room. She looked over her shoulder and frowned. "What? What's with the look guys?" She asked. The original team Hebi shook their heads and mumbled, but Muffin grinned goofily.

"That.. Was.. Complete genius!"Muffin exclaimed. After a few moments, they reached the two rooms, and split into the seperate rooms of their own respective gender. Karin sighed, dropping all of her stuff on the bed, before grabbing a nearby motel towel.

"I'm taking a shower first!"Karin growled, before disappering into the small bathroom nearby. Muffin blinked in confusion, before turning towards her best friend.

"Er.. Can we talk now then?"Muffin asked.

"Yeah, let's. What do you want to talk about?" Melody asked, curious again. The shower turned on. Muffin smiled sheepishly,breaking in nervous sweat.

"Um.. I've never told you my full name,have I? And,because you are my best friend and all,I thought it would be bad if I.. Didn't tell you.." Muffin mumbled,before staring at her feet awkwardly. Melody blinked, surprised. She hadn't expected this.

"Muffin, if you aren't comfortable, you don't have to tell me." Melody said, patting her friends shoulder in somewhat comfort. Muffin shook her head.

"Nah, I want to tell you this. Thanks,though.. Um,before I do, I suppose I should tell you why I don't use my name,right?"Muffin suggested. Then she rubbed the back of her neck. "I some what hate my name.. Well,my first name,actually.." Muffin said, before pausing. She scratched her cheek awkwardly, but after a few moments, she continued. "So.. Er.. Let's reintroduce ourselves.. Properly this time."Muffin explained. Muffin smiled sheepishly, before holding out her hand in offering of a hand shake. "Hello, what is your name?"Muffin asked,grinning. Melody laughed. She took Muffin's hand and shook it.

"Melody Char. How do you do?"Melody asked,grinning. Muffin laughed.

"Good, good. The name is Ava Asher."Muffin replied,nodding. Melody blinked.

"Wow, I can't see why you don't like your name. Sounds like some cool western cowgirl name! Ooh! Can you rope a bull? That would _so_ be a bonus." Melody smiled happily and clapped her hands. Muffin rolled her eyes,but grinned.

"As cool as that sounds, no, I can't. But, um, you can call me whatever you like, though."Muffin said,shrugging.

"Sure thing, Muffin. And just so you know, I have a nickname too. I don't use it much, but I have one. My other friend back home calls me Froggy."She said. Then she rolled her eyes. "I think it was because I kept jumping around when we were watching new Naruto shows." She laughed. Suddenly,the bathroom door slammed open. The red haired ninja came out, fully dressed, but with red wet poofy hair, unlike the usually neat and kempt style it was. Karin sighed.

"You can take the shower now."Karin said simply. Melody suddenly screamed.

"AAAAAGGGHHHH! IT BURNS! KARIN IS STILL UGLY! OH GOD! SAAAAAAVE MEEEEEE!" She screamed, diving under her bed. Karin folded her arms across her chest, the scowl on her face deepening.

"Shut the hell up!"Karin exclaimed. Muffin rolled her eyes.

"Your hair is possibly like that from low sugar intake.. Like,duh! But I'm not sharing with my sugar with you."Muffin added the last part under her breath. Karin glared at the pale skinned,sugar crazed teen.

"I don't like sugar."Karin said flatly. Muffin gasped dramatically.

"Nani?"Muffin questioned. Melody was still huddled under the bed.

"God, Karin, why are you so damn ugly? I mean, I don't say that to most people, but you must be the exception." Melody said, voice muffled from the bed. Karin gritted her teeth,her left eye twitching from under her clear glasses. She scrunched up her face, before folding her arms across her chest. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Hmp,I don't know what he sees in you.."Karin muttered.

"Who?" Mel asked, head poking out from under the bed. "Gaa-kun? He sees me as a wonderful person full of potential." Melody said, nodding. _'He did say that, but I don't think Karin knows that, does she?'_Melody wondered. Karin rolled her eyes, the albino orbs barely visible under her dark framed glasses.

"Not the kazekage."Karin said, snorting. Muffin blinked, before tapping her chin thoughtfully. She blinked,before grinning. Muffin turned to Melody,absent mindedly trying to pull all of Karin's crap off the other bed.

"Don't worry Mel,she isn't after your panda! I think she means Sasuke. But I don't get it,why would somebody like him? He's, like, _Sasuke! _"Muffin whispered from behind her hand,as if it explained everything. This made Karin scowl.

"I can still hear you,you know!"Karin exclaimed, growing an anime vein. Melody smiled.

"You better not be after my panda. I'll kill you if you are." She said, completely serious. Then she laughed. "Sasuke? What does Sasuke know? Nothing at all. You can have him Karin."Melody said, grinning at her dark haired best friend. Muffin smiled goofily,before jumping on the soft bed. She crossed her legs,before turning to the red head with a evil smile.

"You know what the funny thing is,Karin? She is actually serious."Muffin said, nodding solemnly. Karin rubbed her arm sheepishly, before breaking in nervous sweat. _'Wait,why am I worried? I don't even know the kazekage! Besides,if she even laid a finger on me,I'm sure Sasuke would stand up for me! Um,right?' _Karin thought. She coughed awkwardly, before regaining her posture. She cleared her throat, before suddenly scowling.

"Of course you can't have Sasuke-kun! Even if you wanted him, I doubt Sasuke-kun would want somebody like.. You."Karin said, scowling. Melody frowned and got out from under the bed.

"And what's wrong with someone like me?" Melody asked. She bit her lip, trying to seem unaffected by the red-head's words. _'What's wrong with me?'_ She wondered. She stood in front of Karin, waiting for a reply. Karin rolled her eyes.

"Well,your physical features don't really stick out much,mind you.. And you obviously aren't a ninja.." She fixed her glasses before turning towards the wall,her evil smile hidden from view as she continued. "If you aren't a ninja, then you obviously don't know how to protect yourself.. Sasuke-kun doesn't like people that are.. What's the word? Hm.. Feeble? No.. Vexing? No.. Oh,yes! Debilitated!"Karin said,nodding. Melody was confused.

"_What?"_Melody asked, puzzled. Muffin laughed nervously.

"It means.. Uncapable of being useful..Weak.."Muffin explained, breaking in nervous sweat. Muffin laughed nervously,not knowing how Mel was going to react. Muffin sighed, wondering how she was going to explain the situation to everybody else if it went out of hand_:'Uh.. Oh, don't mind the bleeding, lifeless body on the floor.. That, um, also closely resembles Karin.. Uh.. Who's up for some sugar?' _ For some reason, Muffin didn't think that would work. "I think you should shut up now, Karin.. Duh..?"Muffin suggested.

Melody was silent for a second, then slowly, a smile spread across her lips and she started to laugh quietly.

"You say I'm weak... But look at yourself! Your just some jail warden, a medic tracing ninja." She said quietly, evenly. Muffin sighed in relief. Then, very quickly, Melody took out Frankie and had it at Karin's throat. Both Karin and Muffin tensed. "Now, if I'm not a ninja, then how can I do this? Luck? No. I am a ninja, a very kickass ninja." She said,nodding. Then she went back to her bed, smiling, Frankie left on the floor by her bed. "Eh, and I don't give a crap if Sasuke thinks I'm weak. His opinions don't matter to me. All that matters to me are the people I care about. People like Muffin, Gaara-kun, Naruto-nii, Suigetsu, Itchy-san and a few other people that I can't name of the top of my head."She said, shrugging. "And your not one of them either."She added.

"It feels so nice to know that I am loved."An amused voice spoke from the door frame, his arms folded across his chest. The water bottle that was settled in his hand returned to his pouch, before he grinned sharkily at Karin. "Heh heh,she told you straight."Suigetsu said,amused. This made Karin scowl.

"Fish brains,what the hell do you want?"Karin asked, growing an anime vein. Muffin raised a brow, grinning. "Karin,that is no way to talk to a guest! One that likes sugar, especially, no doubt. Duh." Muffin said,nodding. Suigetsu shook his head.

"Actually,Sasuke wanted me to check up on you guys,and to tell you that we are leaving a hour before sunrise,or something like that.."He explained, shrugging.

"Ugh! That bozo! I won't be awake till noon! Everybody knows that! If he thinks he's gonna drag my ass outta bed before than he better think twice!" Melody said, groaning. Then she smiled at Sugietsu. "Oh, you're loved all right. You're like, one of my inner circle friends... And you have your new sugar buddy Muffin!" She chuckled. He'd been so tricked into that. Muffin coughed awkwardly, staring only at her feet, trying not to meet anybody in the eye. Karin smirked,a triumphed smile of somewhat victory. "Well,I guess you just need to deal with it. We all wake up early,and so are you." Suigetsu scratched his cheek thoughtfully.

"Hm,I could go ask Sasuke if we can sleep in late tomorrow,it isn't like he's in a rush.."He said, shrugging. Karin scowled.

"But,I really doubt he would actually allow it.."Karin retorted, folding her arms across her chest. Suigetsu shrugged.

"I'll be right back,I guess."

After the motel door closed with a click, Karin faced Melody with an annoyed expression. Karin rolled her eyes.

"Don't be surprised if he turns it down."Karin snapped. Melody gave Karin a sigh.

"You really should be less possessive of things that aren't yours." She told the red-head. She then turned on her stomach, grinning over at Muffin. "You're so into him. You're totally blushing and everything! This is so cute!" Melody squealed lightly. "Now we both have sugar buddies! Unlike our ugly red-headed roommate..." She said lightly, giving Karin a sad look over her shoulder. Karin growled, the blood from her veins traveling to her face in anger, before throwing her hands in the air incredulously.

"Shut the fuck up!" Muffin tapped her chin thoughtfully before getting off the bed to face Karin,smiling slightly.

"You know,I can recommend a great therapist for that possessive issue of your's.. I think you've heard of him,he goes by the name 'Juugo'.." Muffin said, nodding. This made Karin twitch.

"You two are so unbelievible!"Karin exclaimed. Both girls glanced at each other before laughing, and giving the red head an over dramatic version of the nice guy pose. Muffin smiled goofily.

"Well.." Karin watched them in horror, feeling her blood drain from her face. They both yelled in unison,grinning evilly.

"Believe it!"

Karin groaned. "..."

Melody laughed. "Oh, don't be a hater. We can't help but be like nii-san! And besides, that was just a perfect moment." She said. Then she patted Karin's shoulder. "Really, though. If it's one thing I think Sasuke hates, it's fan girls. And you, my ugly not-friend, are a fan girl. If you just tone it down, I think he might show an interest." She smiled at Karin. She was trying to be nice. Muffin nodded happily,leaning back on the door,folding her arms over her chest.

"Yeah,emos are just weird like that! Well,actually,it's not even emos that are like that.. It's just Emosuke." She nodded matter of factly, but was interrupted from continuing when the door opened. Falling backwords with an inaudible yelp, she felt her entire face go red. Suigetsu towered over her, confused. He blinked.

"Eh, this is so cliche.." Then Suigetsu broke in nervous sweat. _'Of all things to say, Suigetsu! You idiot_!'He thought to himself. Suigetsu got up and dusted himself off, before offering her a hand, which she nervously accepted.

Suigetsu grinned sharkishly, before turning to Melody. "Hey, Mel, he said sure.. As long as you and Muffin make breakfast." Melody winked at Karin. The red head was fuming. Then Mel gave Muffin a up-and-down of her eyebrows.

"Yeah, sure. I'll make everyone breakfast. What do you think we should have?" She asked. "Oh, and can I talk to you in a little Suigetsu? Alone?" She asked. Mel smiled innocently. Suigetsu scratched his cheek, but shrugged. He nodded.

"Er,sure.."He said, confused. Melody laughed.

"Don't be so nervous, it's only a talk." She said. "Just a sec." She gave him a finger. She turned to Karin. "See? I'm not a fan girl and he listens. Not that I'll listen to him later." She grinned the grin that reminded people of her nii-san, shrugged and then walked outside, dragging Suigetsu behind stopped a few feet away from the door and leaned against the wall, giving Suigetsu a look. He laughed nervously.

"Er,what's up,Melody?" He rubbed the back of his head nervously,not knowing what she wanted. _'What happens if I get her mad? She's scary when she's mad..' _Suigetsu shuddered,remembering the time she almost kicked Sasuke in his.. Special purpose. "Um, if this is about the breakfast, I can just make Juugo do it.. That way you and Muffin get more sleep?" He suggested, breaking in nervous sweat.

"No, no, it's not breakfast. And I'll cook it. I want to..." She rolled her eyes. "I just wanted to talk to you about Muffin." She smiled, totally at ease. Suigetsu blinked, before laughing nervously. He stole a glance at an imaginary watch, before he tried to itch away.

"Oh, look at the time!" But instead of the desired effect, he tripped on his two feet, his body getting rug burn and his face eating floor. '_Crap..' _He thought. Then se chuckled. "I think Muffin is rubbing off on me.. Um,not like that.." Suigetsu sweat dropped. "..." Melody just laughed and helped him up. She gave him a somewhat serious look.

"Seriously Suigetsu. Muffin really likes you. I just wanna know how you feel about her. So tell me." She said. "I..Uh.." He coughed, before trying to get his manly posture back."I.. Like.. Her.. Too?"

Melody grinned. "GREAT! You should tell her, then you can officially be sugar buddies. And really, don't be so nervous. She likes you too, so it shouldn't be so hard. You don't have to be afraid of rejection. So what else is there to fear? Sasuke? Eh, he's a puny emo ant. I'll crush him if he interferes." Melody smirked darkly at the last sentence. Then she frowned. "Just don't hurt my friend, Suigetsu. I trust you not to ever hurt her. Or I'll hurt you." She whispered. Then she smiled and clapped him on the back. "Thanks for the talk!" She sang and then walked back to her room.

Karin was towering over Muffin, a evil smile on her lips. She had her arms folded over her chest, before she fixed her glasses. The predator Jaws theme song music played in the backround. This made Muffin uncomfortable. Karin narrowed her eyes at the dark haired girl. "So.. Tell me,you must know more about your friend.. Melody Char.."Karin asked. Muffin blinked.

"..Pika,pika?"Muffin asked, confused. Karin frowned. "_What?" _Muffin grinned evilly, before a pokemon poke ball appeared out of nowhere and hit the red haired 'creature' square in the face.

"What the hell was that for!"Karin exclaimed. Muffin smiled innocently.

"Gotta catch 'em all! Oh, I'm sorry Karin, I mistakened you for a pokemon.. Not that you can blame me,you look more creature then human.."She mumbled the last part, which thankfully did not reach the red haired ninja's ears. The wooden motel door opened with a click, revealing the duo that disappeared a few minutes ago. Suigetsu mouthed out the word 'tomorrow' to Melody before running off in the opposite direction, where his own room lied. Melody smiled a secret smile.

"So, ya miss me?" She asked. Then frowned at the pokeball laying on the ground near Karin's foot.

"Why is there a fuckin pokemon ball in here?" She asked, then sent Muffin a 'WTH' smiled innocently, raising her hands up in defense.

"Karin's hair didn't finish drying, so I mistakened her for a mudkip..A red mudkip,but a mudkip no less." She shrugged, ignoring the puzzled look from the red haired ninja.

"Oh. Okay." Melody nodded in understanding. "Hm... Or maybe it was that one pokemon that looked like red slime. What was that one called? Do you remember?" Melody nodded like this all made sense, to which the red haired ninja had no idea. She groaned and threw herself onto the third bed, next to the window.

"Sasuke save me." She muttered to herself. Melody made a face. "Ew, why would you want him to save you? Besides, he'd just think you were weak if you asked that." Karin made a face that resembled a pout, but could easily be mistakened for a bull dog impersonation. "Let's just get some sleep, we have a long day of traveling ahead.. Idiots.."Karin muttered. Melody shrugged. "Sure thing, Karin." She agreed and got ready to go to bed.

Suigetsu walked back into his seperate room and sighed. He was going to have to tell Muffin tomorrow. Mel had said not be nervous... Easier said than done. A dark cool emo voice interrupted his thoughts, making him jump.

"Suigetsu.. That took you longer then usual.." Sasuke's monotonic echo of a voice spoke, startling the swordsman. Juugo was besides the windowstill, chirping quietly and calmly to his bird friends, and their stuff was put aside neatly by one of the nightstands. Suigetsu laughed nervously.

"Yeah... Karin was being nosy and asking a lot of questions.. Gomen!" He lied smoothly. He scratched the back of his head and jumped onto his bed. Sasuke raised his brow, but remained silent, mostly because he didn't care. Juugo blinked, turning to the white haired ninja, tilting his head. He wrote something on his clipboard.

"What kind of questions? How does it make you feel?"Juugo asked. Suigetsu gave Juugo a look and sighed. "Not tonight Juugo." He muttered. How was he going to tell Muffin? Dozens of scenarios played in his head. He wasn't good at this kind of stuff... Sasuke arched his brow.

"Did Karin bother Melody?"Sasuke asked suddenly. _'Why do I care,hn?'_Sasuke wondered. _'I don't want that red head hurt my Melo.. Wait,back up,__**my?'**_Sasuke quickly dismissed the thought as he awaited Suigetsu's response. Juugo already had turned back around, playing with his colorful feathered friends, whispering to them creepily. Suigetsu shrugged.

"They were fighting before I came in, I could hear 'em. But Mel's being decent enough... And Muffin's being Muffin... Everyone is just being themselves and getting used to the other..." He sighed. Then he gave Sasuke a look. "Why?" He asked and then sorta grinned. Sasuke turned away from the swordsman with a frown, before taking his bundle of clothes. He debated if he should take a shower, but then realized he had more time in the morning.

"Go to sleep,the both of you. We need extra energy if we are going to find Itachi."Sasuke said,ignoring the swordman's question.

"Yeah yeah... Itachi this, Itachi that... You sure do have a one track mind, Sasuke." Suigetsu muttered under his breath. Then he turned on his side and closed his eyes. After a few minutes, snores were heard. Sasuke sighed, before laying down on the empty makeshift bed beside him. '_He has no idea..'_Sasuke thought. Suddenly, his train of thought went back to wondered what Melody was thinking about. Was she just going to let him kill his brother? Or was she going to try to stop him? How much would it effect her? He didn't want to hurt Melo.. Wait,since when did he.. He.. C.. C.. _Care_? Uh,it's simply because he didn't want her doing anything that would effect the plan,right? Um,right? So that must mean he only thought about her so much because she would help aid the plan, and he was worried that it would turn out badly, right? Unconvinced ,he turned on his side, falling into a fitful slumber.


	26. Chapter 25

***The door to the imaginary writer's room opens just a bit..***

**Sasuke: *Glances at it hopefully.* ..Hn?**

**Bittersweet: *Enters and waves.* Hey, it's me again! Here's the new chapter! **

**Sasuke: *Sulks.* Oh, it's just you, hn..**

**Bittersweet: *Pouts.* Oi, and what's wrong with that? *Blinks, and then suddenly smirks.* Oh,I get it.. You miss TearsJustFa**—**!**

**Sasuke: *Covers her mouth, scowling.* TearsJustFall and Bittersweet Melancholy don't own Naruto. *Glares at co-author, before rolling his eyes.* Thankfully, hn. **

* * *

The sound of birds chirping in the morning asounded the motel, making Muffin toss in her sleep. She pulled her blankey higher over her head, snoring lightly from her sleep. Karin scowled, watching the dark haired girl. She sighed, before attempting at taking the pillow from under her head.

"Hey, Muffin, wake up! It's already ten!"Karin stated loudly. Muffin turned on her side, making Karin sweat drop, and then take a glance at Melody. She shuddered, not wanting to be the one to wake her up.. Then she rolled her eyes. "Come on, Muffin!"

Melody was frowning in her own sleep, the nightmarish images flitting through her head. "You have to fight me... I thought you hate me for taking over you? Come and fight me..." Came the hoarse whispers. Dead, decomposing hands reached out towards her. They were trying to grope her, trying to pull her back into the darkness she was trying desperatly to escape from. She kept her eyes trained on the small light in the not so far distance.

Faces smiled encouragingly back at her, making her speed increase. Muffin, Gaara, Naruto... Everybody that cared for her. But another voice echoed through the darkness just then. "Pein, she's not in your grasp anymore... Leave her. Besides, I have a feeling we will see those troublesome girls again." Came a voice. Mel stopped and slowly turned back towards the darkness. Pein and Madara stood far away, laughing at her. Melody turned in her sleep, muttering, "Not the damn Uchiha..."

Karin wrinkled her nose, fixing her glasses with an annoyed expression. She sighed before turning her gaze back at Muffin. An anime light bulb turned on above Karin's head. Karin smiled evilly. "You know, fish brains.. I mean, uh, Suigetsu.. Is.. Waiting for you, yeah, waiting!" Suddenly the dark haired girl bolted from her bed, making the red head jump in surpise. Muffin blinked,a bit confused.

"..You said something 'bout sugar, eh?"Muffin asked,before sleepily rubbing her eyes. Karin slowly shook her head, but cleared her throat as she regained her posture.

"No.. Just wake her up."Karin said, pointing her thumb behind her towards Melody.

"Sure, I'll do that in a second.. But, um.. You weren't serious about that last comment though, right?" Karin sweat dropped, before laughing sheepishly, breaking in nervous sweat.

"No,I said.. You should cook fish and.. Mango..? Breakfast is waiting.. To be made?"Karin said, fixing her glasses. Muffin rolled her eyes.

"You're a horrible liar. Like,duh!"Muffin said, unconvinced. Melody was now twitching in her sleep, as if fending herself from invisible enemies. Which, in her dreams, was sorta true. She was trying to make the decaying hands leave her alone. Muffin glanced at her friend, before pushing the comforters of her motel bed, and walking towards her light haired friend. She tilted her head slightly. "Er.. Mel-chan?" Melody rolled on her side, her body still twitching from her sleep, making Muffin frown. "Mel? Um, Mel.. Er, Sasuke is calling you a Uchiha baby machine again!" A few seconds passed, but the lack of response made the dark haired girl frown deeper. She rubbed the back of her head, confused. "Mel?" The red haired medic ninja blinked, before folding her arms across her chest.

"Hurry up, I'm sure Sasuke-kun is starving by now!"Karin exclaimed. Muffin rolled her eyes, before tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Or cutting himself.."She thought aloud. Karin raised a brow.

_"What?"_Karin asked, her brows arched. Muffin laughed nervously.

"I said hunting.. Himself! You know, getting food.. By himself.."Melody was running again, but somehow, wherever she looked, she couldn't see the light. She huddled against the wall, but when she felt spidery legs crawling over her, she squeaked. In reality, she kinda screamed, before jumping and then curling tightly into the fetal position. Sweat suddenly beaded her forehead. Pein and Madar's voices echoed in her head.

"WHY ARE YOU BOTHERING ME STILL? I HAVEN'T TAKEN ANY PILLS!" She screamed, sobbing on the ground of the darkness. Or maybe she was falling. She couldn't tell anymore. The voices just laughed at her, making her whimper in , there was a knock on the door. Karin frowned, raising a brow at the wooden door of the motel room. She sighed, before walking over and slamming it open, making the person behind it burst into a a thousand droplets of water.

"Goddammit! How the hell did you know it was me, Karin?"Suigetsu exclaimed. Karin smiled evilly.

"Sasuke-kun already talked to us.. Besides, he would send one of you instead of coming himself."Karin explained. Suigetsu rolled his eyes.

"You're such a stalker,Karin."Suigetsu muttered. Karin bopped him across the head, an anime vein appearing on the top of her head.

"Shut up!"Karin yelled. Suigetsu snickered.

"You can't deny the truth. But anyway, Sasuke told me to check up on you guys.. And see what's taking so long."Suigetsu explained. Karin pointed over to the two teenaged girls. Muffin was trying to wake up Melody, but didn't know what to do.. So she just settled on counting how much dust bunnies was on the moldy carpet. One.. Two.. Three.. Er, wait, what comes after three? Muffin sighed dramatically._ 'I guess I'll have to start over again.. One.. Two.. Three.. Uh.. One.. Two.. Three..Oh, I got it! Eleventy!'_ While she was doing this, Melody was tossing and turning, yelling to non existent voices. Karin wrinkled her nose.

"..That."

Melody was muttering again in her sleep. "No, no, no, no... You shouldn't be here... No, no no..." She kept on chanting drowsily. In her dream the voices were echoing everywhere and Mel had gone completely blind. She couldn't tell where they were and she desperately tried to defend herself, panicking with every minute. In reality, she thrashed too, but stayed in her iron clad fetal position. Suigetsu sweat dropped.

"Um... What's wrong with her?" He asked, moving next to Muffin. Muffin broke in nervous sweat, wondering in her crazy mind the same thing.

"Er.. That doesn't happen often, I swear!" Muffin laughed sheepishly, but then sighed. She turned to her light brown haired friend, frowning. The lamp near the end table of Melody's bed was thrashed into the water element ninja, making him scowl as he turned into a thousand little bits of water again. As he reformed, he rubbed the back of his head. His left eye twitched.

"Darn, that was the second time that happened today.. In a time span of five minutes!"He exclaimed, annoyed. Muffin shook her friend's shoulder, raising a brow.

"Melody, calm down! It's only me, Suigetsu and.. Well, I don't think it will help to tell you this, but.. Karin is here too, but, eh.."

Mel was muttering again, shaking off the hand. In her dream, she felt the hand, but thought it was another decaying one trying to reach her. "No, damn Uchiha... Stupid Nagato... Go away... Go away..." She mumbled, barely audible. The smell of curling smoke reached everybody's noses... And then a sudden yelp from the other room. Karin wheeled back, yelping as she backed away from the light haired girl. She tried moments before to wake her up because she had feared her 'precious Sasuke-kun' was starving. "Dammit, that hurt!" Karin cussed, holding onto her now burned hand. Suigetsu rolled his eyes.

"That's what happens when you force her to wake up. I'm not surpised she did that."Suigetsu said, and then sorta grinned.

"Er, how should we wake her up?"Muffin asked, thinking that all of this was getting out of hand. Suigetsu shrugged, glancing at her red haired medic team mate for any suggestions. She scowled, clutching her bruised hand close to her chest. She fixed her glasses with her other hand.

"Maybe we should forget about her! Sasuke-kun would be much better off if we just left the three of you.."Karin muttered the last part under her breath. Muffin sighed, and then turned to the white haired ninja.

"You don't have any ropes with you, do you?"Muffin asked, dead toned. Suigetsu sweat dropped.

"No.. Um, why?"Suigetsu asked, puzzled. Muffin pouted.

"Not even pokemon balls?"Muffin asked in fake anime innocence. Karin tensed, her body stiffening at the mention of the red balls of doom. Suigetsu blinked, confused.

"Pokemon?"He questioned. Muffin sighed.

"Never mind.."Muffin mumbled.

Melody was now shaking, although from fear or the cold she couldn't tell. She felt like she was in an ice cube... Ice cube... Eh, what did that remind her of? Why did the mention of ice cubes make her want to laugh? "Ice cube? Why...?" She mumbled and then turned her fetal position the other way. With a sudden humph, an emo boy stomped inside.

"I'm hungry, hn!" He snapped.

"Um.."Karin started, but didn't know what to say.

"Hn, why are you taking so long?" Sasuke asked, a bit annoyed. Suigetsu suddenly grinned.

"It's all Karin's fault! Blame her." Suigetsu told Sasuke, nodding solemnly. Sasuke raised a brow.

"Hn(How?)?"He asked, confused. The swordsman tapped his chin thoughtfully, before snapping his fingers.

"Because _everything _is Karin's fault!"Suigetsu declared as if it explained everything. Karin scowled.

"Shut the hell up! It is not! I didn't even do anything!"Karin exclaimed. Suigetsu blinked.

"Well, I'm just going to blame you anyway."He said, shrugging. Sasuke cleared his throat.

"Hn, hn, hn!"He exclaimed. Muffin rolled her eyes.

"Dude, you obviously aren't a morning person.. We will start breakfast in a few moments.. But we, er, have some trouble.." Melody suddenly screamed, in her dream the voices were in front of her and in back. She felt trapped, She thrashed and the the flowers outside on the window sill suddenly grow intensely and broke through the window, twirling around like there was actually a person there. Mel's hands were curled into tight fists, eyes shut.

"You and Muffin will come back soon... You'll help us... You'll have to..." Panic spread through every fiber of Mel's body.

"No!" She screamed again. Sasuke tilted his head, pointing a finger at the light brown haired teenager with a lost expression."..Hn, hn, hn?"Sasuke asked, making everybody except Muffin confused. Muffin shook her head.

"No, I don't know what's wrong.. And no, she didn't grab ahold of my sugar before bed and is having nightmares. Like,duh."Muffin told the sixteen-year-old Uchiha. Suigetsu blinked, confused.

"Whoa, you can say all of that in three little miffles?"Suigetsu asked. Sasuke scowled.

"Hn,hn!"Sasuke exclaimed.

"He said they weren't miffles.. And that it was just a habit. You're not very convincing."Muffin said to the raven haired,emo avenger. Sasuke raised a brow when he glanced at the window still;The plant near Melody's bed was now over flowing, unlike a few seconds back. He sighed, before walking over to the light haired girl, and nodded over to Muffin.

"Can you open her eyelids for a moment, hn?"He asked. Muffin blinked.

"What, why? I'm not doing that!" Muffin had an idea of what the Uchiha was planning.. She wasn't going to let him do that! Sasuke sighed, before turning to the red haired medic ninja.

"Fine, hn. Karin, open her eyes. "Sasuke said, shrugging. Karin walked over, and complied.

"Wait!" Sasuke suddenly activating his Sharingan, directly looking into Melody's light blue eyes. "Melody, calm down, and wake up. I'm hungry, and the emo pancakes aren't going to make themselves, hn."He said simply. The girls eyes were rolled to the back of her head and the flower plants moved towards the Uchiha. Mel shuddered.

"No, no... I don't want to..." She mumbled and suddenly tore from Karin's grasp. A single tear that escaped from her once opened eye became a tiny little spear and flew towards Karin. "Don't... No..." Mel curled back into the fetal position. "I won't... Alone, leave me alone!" She cried. Sasuke, however, took it differently and raised a brow. He wasn't going to give up that easily! He wanted emo pancakes, dammit! Inside her head the voices were laughing at her.

"No... We like scaring you... Muffin is less easier to manipulate... But you're easy." Pein's voice echoed throughout her skull. Sasuke scowled, folding his arms over his chest . An anime vein grew above his head, his morning PMS worsening.

"Hn, hn, hn!"He exclaimed, getting annoyed. Sasuke blinked for a moment, realizing that there was no response. He sighed, before Karin and Sasuke backed away from the bed. Muffin frowned. What was wrong with her? Was she okay? Muffin was starting to think that this had nothing to do with breakfast.. Or emo pancakes. Muffin crawled on the bed, and pulled the covers away. This made the occupaints in the room stare at her strangely.

"Oi,Mel! Wake up!"Muffin exclaimed loudly in her ear. Muffin watched Melody roll over again, remaining in her fetal position. Nagato.. Uchiha.. She had mentioned them in her mumbles. Wait.. Muffin's eyes widened, before she towered over her friend. "Oi, Melody Char! Don't let them bastards get to you!" The trio that stood a few feet away sweat dropped, totally at a lost for words. Muffin laugh sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "Er.. Talking about.. The unicorns.."Muffin mumbled under her breath. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"There is no such thing as unicorns, hn."Sasuke said, before going into a full length speech of how they never were or could be real. Melody, however, heard a low hiss.

"Muffin just called us bastards... We aren't bastards... Are we, Madara?" Nagato asked, chuckling. "No. We're geniuses. Complete geniuses." Then they went back to tormenting her... Melody suddenly went still, her mind finally slipping away. "Next time, Mel. I do enjoy our nightly tormenting..." More chuckles, although fading now... Mel was still, breathing deeply still. The panic was still flying through her blood, making the flowers thrash agitatedly.

"Ugh..." Melody moaned. Muffin was now seated at the end of her bed, but turned to her friend with a concerned expression. Sasuke scoffed.

"Hn,finally! Hurry up,I'll be waiting.." After that being said, the Uchiha stomped out of the room. Karin blinked, before following after him. Suigetsu scratched his cheek.

"Well, that was interesting.."Suigetsu stated. Muffin wrinkled her nose.

"Mel-chan, are you okay?"Muffin asked. Mel's eyes slowly cracked open.

"Ugh... I feel like pudding!" She croaked. Suigetsu chuckled.

"That sounds good right now.."Suigetsu thought aloud. Then he turned to the two teenagers, scratching the back of his head. "Uh.. Well, I'll be down stairs if you need me.." Suigetsu exited the room, closing the motel door behind him. Muffin turned back to her friend, raising a brow at her light haired companion.

"Nagato and Uchiha? Eh, Mel, what were you dreaming about?"Muffin asked.

"...They were... In my dream... Taunting me. God, Ava, it was horrifying." Melody shuddered, drawing up her knees and hugging them tightly. "I swear, they like doing it just for my reactions... I couldn't wake up... I was falling in utter darkness. Their voices... Echoing everywhere. I didn't know how to defend myself... I lost sight of what was important... I only felt fear." Melody whispered. Her voice raised a brow at the usage of her first name,realizing that this really shook her up. The dark haired girl sat next to her friend, putting a hand on her shoulder. "They were really there, Mel?"

"Uh-huh... In my head." Mel shivered. The line of Muffin's lips twitched downwards.

"Well.. You sure as hell not gonna let them take your brownie points! Didn't Itchy-san teach you how to get out of genjutsu, or something? Remember that Shippuden chapter where Itachi confronts Naruto? Naruto had a flashback telling him that he did it by totally stopping his chakra." Muffin started to pick idly at the hair of her bangs, dividing them seperately. She coughed before she continued on with her conversation. "I know it won't do much to them, but you can't let them do that.."

"I guess I just got so scared from this sudden... Attack, that I didn't do it."Melody sighed and then jumped to her feet. "Well, better get started with breakfast, or else the annoying Emosuke will have a cow." She muttered and headed out the door. Muffin grinned as they walked downstairs.

"Be careful, Mel, Emosuke is on PMS. He is scary when he's on PMS.. Almost as scary as Oro-hentai without make up on Sundays.."Muffin said,before shuddering as they walked into the kitchen. She blinked as she noticed that the motel's kitchen was a bit run down. The coffee maker was broken, the heater that usually held the bacon was dusty and empty, and the silverware was rusty. Muffin quirked a smile, before she suddenly made a pack of bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast mix,(Like the instant breakfasts' you get at the grocery store) appear. Mel tilted her head and put them over the gas oven for a second, flames suddenly burst to life. Quickly, they were all cooked.

"Happy breakfast... Enjoy it, dammit." Melody snapped and munched on her own bacon and eggs. Then she sent Suigetsu a look. "Told anybody anything special today, Sui?" She asked nonchalantly.

Suigetsu broke in nervous sweat, before shaking his head quickly. He was trying to remain inconspicious, but was failing miseribly. After he made sure Muffin was out of ear shot, he sighed.

"Don't worry, we will be here all day.. Sasuke is making us split into groups. Oh yeah, um, did I mention you are going to be grouped with Karin?" He laughed sheepishly, scratching his cheek. Mel sighed.

"And with who else? Please don't tell me..."Melody started. She crossed her fingers and prayed to both God and Jashin it wouldn't be who she thought it was going to be. Karin was bad enough...Suigetsu chuckled.

"Don't worry, it's just Karin.. You don't have to worry 'bout Sasuke. Juugo has to be with Sasuke, because they are worried he might lash out without Sasuke there with him.."Suigetsu explained. Mel grinned.

"Thank Jashin."Melody mumbled. Suigetsu grinned.

"Wow, you were really worried there, weren't you?" Suigetsu stood up from his seat, before stretching out his arms. Melody laughed.

Sasuke stepped forward, holding a now finished plate of bacon and cheese. It wasn't emo pancakes, but it would do. He raised a brow at the plate, wondering if it were true.. If it were true that if a Uchiha glares at something too long, it suddenly combusts.

"Hn.."Sasuke wondered aloud. Mel grabbed the plate before he had time to test his theory.

"No combustion for you." She said and then grabbed the others finished plates. She put them in the sink, along with the other dishes and started the water. "I'll wash the dishes. You guys can go get your stuff. Karin, do you mind packing me a bag please?" She asked nonchalantly. IN her mind though:_ 'She better pack me good stuff or I swear I''ll-'_

The red haired medic ninja was about to retort, but the threatening glare the Uchiha sent her held her tongue. She coughed awkwardly.

"Uh.. Y-Yes,I will.."Karin walked the opposite direction, in the location of the hotel rooms.. She had a certain bounce to her step as she walked, possibly from the thought of going through Sasuke's stuff. Suigetsu snickered, shaking his head. Sasuke turned to the light brown haired teenager with a scowl.

"Hn,hn,hn.."He mumbled under his breath,a bit upset that she stole his plate.

"What did he say, Muffin?" Melody asked, squirting the dish soap into the steamy blinked,looking up from her bag of sugar. "Hm?" She perked her ears to listen to what the raven haired Uchiha was saying. Muffin blinked.

"He is saying something like.. Uchiha baby machine.. Must kill Itachi.. Emo poetry.. And then last part I couldn't catch."Muffin translated. Melody's jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed. She turned to the Uchiha, her own scary galre in place.

"It better be nothing about Uchiha babymakers or you'll never get to make some poor girl that." Melody snarled lowly, foot sweat dropped, before inching away from the light brown haired teenager. He turned to the dark haired teenager with a threatening glare.

"Hn, hn, hn!"Sasuke exclaimed defensively. Suigetsu blinked.

"What is he saying?"The swordsman asked, confused. Muffin shrugged, before grinning.

"To tell her that he wasn't saying that."Muffin said. Karin and Juugo entered the room again, carrying a few loads of baggage. Karin fixed her glasses.

"We are ready,Sasuke-kun."Karin announced.

"I'm not ready. I'm still washing dishes." Melody muttered, scrubbing leisurely at the dishes. She chuckled darkly. "He better not." She whispered, tapping her foot. Mel tilted her head. "Actually, Karin, you can start asking around without me. I'll find you in a little. Kay?" She asked, looking over her shoulder at the red head 'pokemon'. Karin shared a glance between Sasuke and Juugo, before nodding at the light brown haired teenager. Sasuke cleared his throat.

"Hn, we will meet at the gates at two,and continue information gathering from there.. Understood?" They all nodded, before Sasuke spoke again. "Hn, hn, hn.." Suigetsu raised a brow.

"Huh?"He asked, puzzled. Muffin blinked.

"He said,'Commence',meaning like.. 'Let's go.'"

"Stupid Uchiha, always talking in a language not many people know..." Melody muttered to herself, listening as the others walked away. She sighed and started humming to herself, thinking about the terrifying dream she'd been forced to endure this morning. It made her shiver. Muffin and Suigetsu stood outside,infront of a small little vendor area. Muffin glanced around the area,confused on what exactly she had to do.. Muffin tilted her head thoughtfully. "Er.. What do we do, Sui?" He shrugged.

"We usually just visit different places in town, and ask around 'bout the Akatsuki.." Suigetsu leaned on the edge of a pillar next to him, folding his arms across his chest. He grinned sharkily, taking a sip from his water bottle."Although, sometimes, I don't.." Muffin blinked.

"What do you do then?"She asked. Suigetsu shrugged, before grinning. "Sit around? Get more water bottles?"

Muffin sweat dropped. "..."

* * *

Mel sighed and turned slightly to wipe a wet hand on her sweat pants, which she'd worn as pajamas last night with her tank top. She then turned on the radio. She heard a familiar tune and smiled lightly. She returned to washing the dishes. She chuckled slightly, realizing it was a TaTu song. _'I didn't think they'd have music from our world here! Hm, maybe the singers from the band originated from here.'_ Mel swayed to the music, humming along to the pretty music softly.

* * *

Muffin smiled goofily. "No worries, I don't mind! But.. What are we going to do for the next two hours? I mean, like, we are all alone and stuff." Suigetsu's cheeks reddened, feeling as if he could hear Melody's voice echoing into his mind. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Er.. Muffin.. I wanted to tell you someth.. Muffin?" He blinked in confusion, realizing that his dark haired companion was gone. He glanced around, until they settled on an ice cream shop.. Muffin smiled goofily at the woman behind the counter, pointing at the different flavors of ice cream.

"And I want a scoop of that.. And that! Ooh, that looks good too.." The woman behind the counter wiped a brow of sweat, before continuing. Suigetsu chuckled, walking over to the dark haired girl, amused. "How are you gonna pay for all of that?"He asked, raising a brow. Muffin smiled evilly.

"I can make things randomly appear, Suigetsu.. Like, duh! Why do you even need to ask such a question?"She asked as if it were obvious. Suigetsu sweatdropped."..."The woman behind the counter finally scooped all the flavors into one giant bowl. She smiled.

"Oh, I get it now.. This is for you and your boyfriend! That makes sense." She smiled softly and then nodded approvingly. She put her hand out. "50 ryos please." She asked, not noticing the teenagers' expressions.

* * *

Sasuke watched the light brown haired teenager from under the breakfast table. He had told Juugo to go with Karin, and that he'll meet up with him after he 'checked out' of the hotel. He wondered why he was doing this, and why he wasn't with the rest of Hebi asking around about his brother.

Suddenly, the chair beside him swooped from under the table,as two flabby legs came into the Uchiha's view. It was a hotel employee. Sasuke shuddered, wondering how this person could wear shorts with such legs. Sasuke sighed as he watched Melody wash the dishes, waiting for the right moment..

Melody was laughing now and singing loudly to another song. She was dancing in place, sometimes swooping low to the ground, other times twirling (Which made dish water go everywhere), and sometimes just bobbing her head. She smiled at the work attendant who was putting up the chairs of the table.

"Nice day, isnt it?" Melody asked. The lady smiled.

"Yes, it is." She nodded, and then walked into the next room. Sasuke sighed in relief, watching as the flabby legs walk away.

* * *

Muffin felt the blood rush to her face, her face reddening. Suigetsu chuckled nervously before taking the money that randomly appeared from Muffin's hand. He handed it to the lady.

"Uh.. Thanks! Heh, heh.."He quickly grabbed Muffin's elbow, before semi dragging her away. After rounding the corner, he laughed nervously. "Uh.. Crazy old bat, huh? Thinkin' that you and I.. Um.. Yeah.." Suigetsu finished lamely. Muffin smiled, before digging into her ice cream. Suigetsu sighed inaudibly in semi relief. "..."

* * *

Melody sighed and then blinked. "Hm, maybe I should go look for better clothes before I meet up with Muffin, Juugo and Suigetsu later... Yeah. No offense to Naruto-nii, but I need a new look." She chuckled lightly and then dumped the dishwater. "Well, I'm done with the dishes..." She mumbled, turning off the faucet. The sixteen-year-old Uchiha's eyes widened at mention of the blonde haired ninja. Naruto-nii? Does that mean he is her brother? Sasuke shook his head, remembering Naruto didn't have any family. Sasuke cleared his throat, before attempting at standing up. Instead, his head collided with the table with a loud thud. Sasuke scowled, before hoping Melody didn't hear that..Melody froze and then threw herself at the ground. She glared.

"DAMMIT UCHIHA! HOW THE FUCK LONG HAVE YOU BEEN THERE!" She screamed. Her blood boiled as a dark blush spread across her cheeks. Had he seen her dance? Had he heard her sing? Oh, Jashin, that was so embarrassing! Sasuke slowly got up from the table, trying to ignore the murder intent coming from the light brown haired teenager. He held his hands in defense.

"Hn, I was only looking for my contacts.. Um, you don't seriously think my eyes turn red, do you?" He silently prayed she would buy that,not knowing that she was much more aware of the Sharingan and it's abilities. Melody got up and tapped her foot.

"Fuck you if you think I'm gonna buy that shit." She snarled. _'Oh,crap,hn.._'Sasuke thought to himself, before rubbing the back of his head. He sighed, before shaking his head. "Hn.. Alright, I'll tell you why I'm here.. I only wanted to know if you were okay. Hn, you seemed a bit off this morning.."Sasuke explained, feeling awkward.

"You know, I don't want anything to happen to you just incase Itachi comes, and stuff.."Sasuke said,not sounding very convincing. He continued, his frown deepening. Hn.. Because you would be.. Uh.. Useless, hn, you know.."He said, inwardly trying to convinced himself. Melody tensed. She wasn't one to lie willingly but she didn't need the Uchiha to worry about her. He was obsessed with her enough. "N-No..." She lied.

She knew she was horrible at it and she hoped he would buy it. Then she laughed. "Itchy-san won't hurt me. Trust me on that." She whispered lightly, smiling.

* * *

Suigetsu sighed, sitting down on one of the benches. They both were located in a public, crowded park. Muffin looked up from her ice cream,confused. "Er.. Is there something wrong?"She asked, confused. Suigetsu smiled sharkily.

"Nah, just go ahead.. I'll meet up with you in a minute.."Suigetsu said. Muffin shrugged before walking away, making Suigetsu pout. He was a total idiot when it came to these things, he thought sourly.

"Fish brains, what do you think you are doing? You aren't suppose to be sitting around!" Karin's voice scolded from behind him, making Suigetsu scowl. He folded his arms under his head, closing his eyes.

"Dude, Karin, shut up.. I'm trying to think, and your ugly face is distracting me.."Suigetsu said, getting a bit annoyed. Karin gritted her teeth, before folding her arms across her chest. She gave him an incredulous look. "Psh, you? Thinking? Ha!"Karin exclaimed, rolled his eyes.

"Aren't you suppose to be with Juugo?"He asked, annoyed. Karin shrugged.

"He is talking to some people right now.. I was waiting outside, and then I saw your lazy ass sitting around."She explained simply. Suigetsu sighed, before sipping from his water bottle. Karin raised a suspicious brow, knowing it was unlike the swordsman not to bite back a retort. "Um.. Suigetsu? Uh.." Karin started, feeling a bit awkward. Suigetsu raised a brow.

"What?"He asked.

Karin fixed her glasses, trying to look like she didn't care. "You k-know, if you aren't focused with Sasuke-kun and more on.. Um, other things.. You will be entirely useless..And.. Um.." Karin spoke, wiping her glasses with the edge of her turtleneck shirt. Suigetsu snorted.

"Spit it out, Karin.."Suigetsu retorted. Karin rolled her eyes.

"What I mean is.. Um.. Go to the source of the problem and say.. Uh, do.. What you have to say.. I mean, do." She cleared her throat, before clenching her fist. "Because if you are distracted and end up hurting Sasuke-kun, I will beat your ass!"Karin snapped. Suigetsu scratched his cheek.

"Wow Karin, for a bitch.. You're alright."

Karin gave him an annoyed smile, but still gritted her teeth.

"Later,fish brains."She muttered, before walking off in the opposite direction. Suigetsu raced back up to Muffin.

"He he, back..."He announced. He laughed nervously. He sighed and scratched his cheek again. "Hey Muffin... I wanted to tell you something..." He said nervously. Muffin's held on to her head, groaning slightly. Her ice cream was long abandoned, as she pouted silently.

"Ow.. Brain freeze.."She mumbled under her breath. Suigetsu chuckled.

"I know how to cure that, actually."Suigetsu told her, grinning. Muffin blinked at the white haired swordsman.

"You can?"She asked. He nodded, before suddenly shoving his thumb down her throat. Muffin sweat dropped."Ow! Oigetsu,wet gwo.."She tried to say to the best of her ability. Suigetsu quickly with drew his hand, sweat dropping slightly.

"Er.. Sorry, I learned it from my brother.. Oh yeah, I forgot! It was suppose to be your own hand!"He thought aloud. He face palmed himself for acting so stupid, before laughing nervously. Muffin grinned goofily.

"It's okay, I get it.. You said you wanted to tell me something?"

* * *

Mel weaved her fingers through her messy hair nervously, praying that he wouldn't notice her lie. But hell, she sucked at lying. Even her father, drunk of his ass, had known when she was lying. Mel wouldn't look up towards narrowed his eyes at the light brown haired teenager.

"Who is Ichy-san, and why wouldn't he want to hurt you? Hn, nevermind.. I don't think so, Melody. Maybe you are in denial, but there must be something wrong, hn.."He folded his arms across his chest, totally oblivious that he was contridicting himself. Mel laughed lightly.

"Itchy-san is Itachi, dumbass." She muttered and then looked at him quickly. "I'm a horrible liar... I know. But..." She bit her lip and shuddered, still scared shitless of the forced dream. "I think it was a genjustu... Maybe not, I couldn't release it... Not that I tried. I was so scared... And I hate that, Sasuke." She sighed, realizing she was babbling and hadn't called him a mean name that time. She shook her head. "Nevermind, like you care." She muttered and tried walking away.

"Hn, no.. Of course I do!"He exclaimed. Sasuke suddenly covered his mouth ,realizing what he just said. He silently cussed to himself,wondering how much of an idiot he was being.. Sasuke sighed, his dark bangs hiding his eyes. "You know.. I get scared too, and even if that is so hard to believe.." Melody rolled her eyes at the last sentence, thinking he was a bit self absorbed. Sasuke sighed.

"Man, this is so out of character.. But I just wanted to know because.. Because.. Because.. I.. Um.. If you aren't focused when we meet Itachi, you might mess up the plan! Or that blue Avata.. I mean, his partner.. He might.. Hurt you? Under orders of the leader of Akatsuki,and stuff. You can never trust them, hn." He nodded unconvincingly, trying to make up for being out of character. Mel was quiet. She was turned away, shocked mainly by his words. Think of Gaara, think of Gaa-kun... She was thinking but was failing to bring up images. She finally turned and gave Sasuke a half smile, half smirk.

"Oh, the the mighty Uchiha get's scared?" She teased. Then she smirked completely. "Oh yeah? Fish Face might think he can kick my ass again, but I'm stronger! DATTEBAYO!" Mel laughed. Sasuke rolled his eyes, but quirked a nonvisible smile. ('Cause he's too emo for that.)

* * *

"Um.."

Suigetsu rubbed the back of his head nervously, suddenly forgetting how to speak. If Melody were here, he wouldn't look like an idiot. (Um, right?) If his brother, Mangetsu,were here, he would ease up the tension by making a small joke. If Sasuke were here, he'd try to convince everybody he wasn't emo. (But, despite his efforts, everybody knows that he is.) He sighed, knowing that he was completely alone on this. "Um.." Muffin placed her hand on the swordsman's forhead, blinking.

"Hm.. You seem a bit warm, Suigetsu! Maybe you should rest more? Or drink more water?"

This caused Suigetsu to cough awkwardly and finally the words seemed to tumble out of his dry throat. "Muffin, I really really like you!" He sighed in relief. Muffin grinned goofily, before laughing at the swordsman. "Of course! I really, really like you too! Just like you really really like Melody, right?" Suigetsu frowned, before shaking his head. He scratched his cheek, sweat dropping slightly. "Er, no.. I mean like.." Muffin blinked.

"Like what, Suigetsu?"She asked, confused. Suigetsu suddenly felt awkward again. "..."Suigetsu sighed. "No, you don't get it Muffin..." He muttered and then rubbed the back of his head. "I.. I... Damn why is this word so hard to say? It's so cliche." He muttered, still uberly nervous. Muffin smiled innocently.

"What cliche,Suigetsu?"She tilted her head. She was enjoying this. She knew it was a bit mean, but still! Suigetsu groaned, before burying his head in his hands. He sighed, turning to face Muffin with a sheepish smile.

"Er.. I mean,I like you as a sugar buddy.."He stated awkwardly. Muffin blinked.

"Like.. How Karin and Juugo are sugar buddies, trying to find information?"She inwardly snickered. Suigetsu scratched his cheek.

"No.. I mean like.. Um, boyfriend, girlfriend.."He explained, his face turning red. Muffin nodded happily.

"Like Sasuke is your boy friend? Like, friend that is a boy, right?" Suigetsu face palmed his forhead, partly from the unintentional jab at his orentation, and the 'oblivious' brunette.

* * *

Mel sighed and finally turned to Sasuke fully. "Hm, so why were you spying on me again? You seem to be making a habit of it." Mel smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. Her angry demeanor was gone mostly, her playful attitude replacing it. Sasuke coughed, trying to regain his composture.

"Hn.. Of course I was spying on you.. You might've ran away,or accidently hurt yourself, hn."He explained. Sasuke glanced at his feet, before turning away from the light brown haired teenager. "Now that you are done with the dishes, let's go.. We are wasting time, hn."He silently prayed to Kami that Melody would drop the subject, because he didn't have an answer to that.

"Oh, sure, I totally believe that." Mel laughed and then sauntered over to Sasuke. She pouted at him. "But I want to buy new clothes!" She whined and gave him puppy dog eyes. "Can't we just stop by over there first?" She asked innocently, blinking to emphasize her point. Sasuke rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest.

"Hn, fine.. But make it quick. And I'm not going to pay for you, hn."He stated flatly. '_Hn, what's with girls and shopping? Mel doesn't seem like the type of girl to do that, though, hn.. But I've read that one article in TeenBop! Magazine, issue four.. Shopping this, shopping that.. I'm only to assume that **all **girls think like that, hn! Um, right? But Melody doesn't seem like the type that does, hn.. But.. This confuses me, hn.. Don't all females engage in this strange ritual? I don't understand women at all.' _He quickly stalked out of the motel door.

"Whoever said I needed you to pay for me? I never said that. You must be hearing the voices again Sasuke." Melody replied, chuckling. Then swore mentally, realizing she hadn't called him a name again. She sauntered out and then grinned. "Race ya!" She laughed and poured on her speed.

* * *

Suigetsu rubbed the back of his head, breaking in nervous sweat. "W-Well.. Y-You see Muffin.. When two people like each other very, very much.. And spend alot of time with each other.."He started to say, feeling awkward. Muffin's left eye twitched.

"You're not giving me the birds and bees talk, are you?"She asked, dead toned. Suigetsu's face turned red.

"No! I just wanted to say that I..L.. L.. L-"

Suddenly, the sound of three bodies clashing was heard. Suigetsu fell forward, eyes wide. Melody's eyes widened in surpise, and tumbled down, while Muffin just fell. Suigetsu blinked, before silently cussing. Sasuke rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest.

"Hn, you shouldn't have run, Melody."Sasuke retorted, as if he didn't just run half a mile.

"You didn't complain!" She snapped and jumped to her feet. She poked his chest. "Besides, you were running too! So don't lie." She snarled. Then she grinned and looked at Suigetsu. "Hey! Did you say anything important today?" She asked, waggling her brows. Suigetsu got up and helped Muffin as well. The swordsmen folded his arms across his chest, giving Melody a pout.

"I was about to.. Until I was knocked off my feet by the emo and the Trypanophobiac**(1)**." Sasuke rolled his eyes, before turning to the dark haired, pale teenager.

"Hn ,hn, hn?"He asked, confused. (And feeling slightly out of the loop.) Muffin shrugged.

"I have no idea what they are talking about either.."Muffin said, pouting. Mel laughed nervously.

"Ah, damn. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fuck the moment up." She rubbed the back of her neck and than gave Suigetsu one of her Naruto-look-alike grins. "Gomen?" Suigetsu grinned, and nodded.

"It's okay. Um, actually, Melody.. How does somebody get it through Muffin's head that they like her?"He asked from behind his hand. Now that Melody was here, she wouldn't make him look like an idiot.. Right? Suigetsu laughed nervously. Mel smirked.

"Heh, you need to find that out on your own bucko. I'm not gonna guide you through the whole thing." She said,laughing lightly. Suigetsu fell anime style, seeing that he had to think of it on his own. Then Mel turned to Muffin, grinning widely. "Hey! I was about to get some new clothes, wanna come?" She asked. Muffin nodded happily.

"Yeah, sure! Let's go!" Sasuke raised a brow at the swordsman's and Mel's conversation, but didn't say anything about this. The emo boy was definitely confused, but he didn't care by this point. He wondered if the store had a computer, so that he can log into Quizilla. Suigetsu sweat dropped, laughing nervously. Sasuke rolled his eyes, as the group of four continued walking through the crowd. After a few minutes,they stopped infront of a small store. It seemed to be a ninja slash civilian store, as customers of different kinds walked in and out of the enterance. "Ninja stuff is so cool! Seriously, too bad they don't have this kind of stuff back home.." Muffin whispered behind her hand to Mel. Suigetsu raised a brow.

"You lived in one of those small villages,without ninja academies?"He asked, confused. Muffin laughed nervously.

"Er.. Yes, there were definitely no ninja academies near by.." Muffin said, nodding.

"None as far as the eye could see... But there were martial art studios..." Melody added thoughtfully. Suigetsu chuckled, shaking his head lightly.

"Dude, martial art studios? Only civilians go there!" He folded his arms under his head, not noticing the sighs of relief from the two teenagers. Sasuke blinked.

"Hn, hn, hn?"He asked, confused. Muffin grinned.

"Of course, Emosuke!"She replied. Suigetsu blinked.

"Er, what?"Suigetsu asked, not understanding the complex language that consisted of only one word. Muffin rolled her eyes.

"He asked if I lived near by Melody. Like, the same village."Muffin explained. Melody chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, you can say that. We met in a museum, to be honest..." Mel smiled at the memory. It wasn't too long ago, but still it seemed distant. She sighed. She walked into the store and smiled wider. "Now these are the clothes I'm looking for!" She said approvingly. Sasuke sighed,before folding his arms across his chest. He glanced around the store,before mumbling under his breath.

"Hn, I don't understand why a person would want to go in here.. There are too many people breathing my air.."Sasuke muttered. Suigetsu sweat dropped.

"Sasuke, you do you realize you are saying that aloud, right?"Suigetsu asked, dead toned. Sasuke blinked,.

"Hn?"Sasuke asked. Muffin nodded matter of factly.

"Yeah,you did. But I think most of the eavesdroppers will forgive you, because emo people have some type of power." Muffin whispered behind her hand to Melody, although her voice was still obviously loud. "You don't think the unicorns gave emos that power, do you?"Muffin wondered. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Hn, unicorns don't exist.."Sasuke muttered, rolling his eyes. Mel rolled her own eyes and narrowed them at the Uchiha.

"Dude, yeah, they do. They just hate you." She smirked. She turned to Muffin. "Of course. I had a friend who was emo. She kicked ass." Melody paused, before nodding."_Must_ be the unicorns." Suigetsu rubbed the back of his head,confused. He sweat dropped again, staring strangely at the two girls.

"Um, unicorns?"He asked, confused. Muffin nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, unicorns! Emosuke just denies their existence 'cause like Mel said! They hate him! Like, duh!"She said as if it explained everything. Suigetsu chuckled, before jabbing a teasing jab at the now glaring Uchiha.

"Yeah, _Emo_suke, don't deny their existence.."He teased. Sasuke scowled.

"Hn,hn.."He muttered.

"They _do_ exist! You just need to believe!~"Muffin exclaimed, anime style sparkles suddenly forming. Sasuke just rolled his eyes. Muffin sighed, before dragging the group of four down the aisles of clothing and ninja equipment. Mel grabbed a lot of clothes while they passed stuff. She even grabbed another katana sheath and belt since hers was pretty much deteriorating. Mel smiled and then sent Suigetsu a sharp look.

"Hey, Muffin... Can you and Suigetsu go look over there," She pointed to a far away corner where seemingly shirts with symbols on them were. "For some extra shirts for me please?"She asked. She rose a brow at Suigetsu, hinting that this was his chance. Suigetsu blinked,looking at the implying light haired girl beside him.. He looked from inbetween Muffin, to the corner of the store, before grinning sharkily. Muffin nodded, before squinting her eyes at the other end of the store where the shirts were.

"Sure thing, Mel-chan! Er, what size and color do you nee.. Melody?"Muffin pouted when she realized Melody was now gone. She shrugged. "Well, I guess it's you and me, huh, Sui?" Suigetsu laughed nervously.

"Yeah..Muffin, can I tell you something?"

* * *

Sasuke stood at the other side of the store, folding his arms across his chest. His lips twitching into an annoyed scowl, as he raised a brow to his light haired companion. "Hn,hn,hn!"

"Dude, I can't speak Uchiha. Speak English." She rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue. She rose on her tip toes to spy on her friends, although still hiding behind a clothing rack. Sasuke sighed, rolling his eyes. His scowl deepened, as his gaze settled on his team mate and the sugar crazed girl.

"I was asking you what you were doing."He stated flatly. After a few moments of being ignored, he clicked his tongue in obvious annoyence. "Hn, what are you planning? Besides.." Sasuke looked down, his dark bangs hiding his eyes."Relationships.. Bonds.. Ties.. Friendship.. All of those things hold you back and make you weak." Mel's hands visibly clenched. She whirled around, eyes suddenly filled with tears.

"FUCK THAT! YOU KNOW THAT'S A LIE!" She screamed, as her tears fell and suspended in midair. "Bonds do not make you weak. They make you stronger. Friends, they care about you, and you should care about them too. You don't give the fuck up on them! They fight for you and you fight for them. You put their happiness in front of your own sometimes. You forget about your own wants to help them out. That's what it means to be a family you know. Muffin is all the family I have right now! Nii-san isn't here, Gaara isn't here... Right now, Muffin is the only family I have! And yes, my friends are my family, cause they're all I got! Fuck you Uchiha! Even you still have bonds. You have a bond with Itachi, Suigetsu, Naruto, and your deceased family. There is more than one type of bond, you dumbass!" She snarled and then raced off, towards the dressing rooms. Tears in midair marking her trail.

Sasuke blinked, totally at a lost for words. Hn, he definitely wasn't expecting that. One thing that Uchihas' didn't excell in.. And was bad at.. Was.. Well, relationships. If that wasn't obvious, already. Sasuke sighed, glancing back at the figures of Suigetsu and Muffin. From the distance, he saw the two of them speak to each other. All of a sudden, she grinned, and tackled him to the ground. Suigetsu scratched his cheek awkwardly ,but smiled sheepishly. Sasuke sweat dropped,r emembering when Muffin tackled himself to the ground, back when they found Melody.

Melody;

With her voice echoing in his mind, the raven haired Uchiha suddenly felt really.. Stupid. He had to fix this. Er, it was only for the plan to kill his brother, Sasuke thought unconvincingly. He glanced slowly towards the stalls of the changing rooms ,and before stalking off in that direction. As the raven haired Uchiha arrived, his frown deepened as he realized something: He didn't know which of the stalls Melody was in. He activated his Sharingan,before his gaze landed on a small stall. Walking over, he leaned his back on the stall. He knocked quietly, before calling in a monotonic, slightly concerned voice.

"Melody?"

"Go away." Mel's voice came from nearby. She was trying on some of her new clothes, angrily trying not to punch everything to splinters. She pulled on the skort and looked at herself in the mirror. The clothes looked nice, but she herself looked... Scary. Hm, did she always look like this when she was upset? Sasuke sighed, craning his head awkwardly. He rubbed the back of his head, suddenly feeling really emo and guilty.. But mostly emo,though.

"Melody,um.. If it makes you feel better ,Muffin and Suigetsu are.. Well, sugar buddies, or something, hn.." The raven haired Uchiha was only met with silence, making him sigh even more. He arched his brows together, scowling silently to himself. He wondered what he could do to make the stupid emo guilt go away.

"Melody, I.. I.. I'm.. R.. Really.." Sasuke started to say, before choaking on the last word. "S..S..S.. Sorr.. Sorry!"The word was foreign to his vocabulary.. Well, obviously. "I..I.."Sasuke started to say, before sighing. "Okay, I admit it! I'm an asshole! Who has an emo closet! And I admit it, I write emo poetry! I admit, Orochimaru used to browse pictures of little boys all day, and print out their pictures and their addresses... And I admit.. I.. Don't know.. Much about.. Bonds, ties, and relationships, hn. But I.. I.."

Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair. "H..H..Have them." Instead of looking like he was in pain, he suddenly looked dead panned. "Oh, there's one more thing.. Most of Orochimaru's income goes towards buttbow orders, whipped cream, and unsightful bondage strap clothing he always seems to be breaking.."Sasuke shuddered, before continuing. "But, that's besides that point." His throat suddenly felt really dry, but he felt as if his little Grinch heart grew a little. The emo guilt finally escaped from his mind, making Sasuke sigh in relief. He knocked again, turning to the stall door curiously. He wondered why the light brown haired teenager was so silent. He slowly opened the small stall door,until..

_Wham!_

Sasuke suddenly saw stars, as he stumbled out of the narrow stall door. An aged woman in her mid nineties stood there, clutching her umbrella tightly. "'Dat's what ya gettin' fer peakin' on meh, ya perv'!" Sasuke gulped, before holding his hands in defense. He shook his head vigorously as the small, old woman walked closer and closer.

"Hn, hn, hn!"He exclaimed, now scared.

"English,Sasuke." Mel's voice came from the stall next to the old woman's. Inside her stall, Mel was smirking. But she was also shaking. God, did he really actually mean that? She was definitely going to tell Muffin! She smiled and snickered at Sasuke's sticky situation.

"Ow, hn! I didn't mean to! Hn,ow! Ow!" Sasuke scowled, getting annoyed for being hit in the head by the woman's umbrella. He quickly stalked out of the store, with a half dressed ninety year old woman in tow. Muffin was located on the white haired teenaged swordsman's back, blinking at the scene before her. She tilted her head.

"Was that just Emosuke.. Getting chased by a old lady with an umbrella?" Suigetsu chuckled.

"Yeah, that was.."Suigetsu said, as if it were a normal thing. Muffin grinned.

"I told you the unicorns gave the emos some type of power! Like, duh!" She exclaimed. Suigetsu sweat dropped. Melody came out of the dressing rooms, clothes she wanted folded across her arm. "He had a mental breakthrough... Although he had the wrong stall..." She smiled and then nodded approvingly at Suigetsu. Melody grinned.

"Shall I save his ass?"She asked. Muffin blinked.

"Er.. Maybe you should, dude. After all, he's emo.. He doesn't know how to.. Er, what's the word?"Muffin scratched the back of her head, confused. Suigetsu shrugged.

"Apologize? Yes,I think you should.. Besides,who else would buy me water bottles?"Suigetsu asked, pouting. Melody nodded and quickly handed them her clothes and money.

"Buy these for me please?" She asked. Then she raced outside and found Sasuke being beaten by the Umbrella Lady. She walked over. Hm... What excuse should I make for his lazy ass? Eh, I'll just go with the easiest and effictive one in the book... I really need to actually buy that Book.. "Excuse me, miss? Did my boyfriend do something to upset you?" She asked in a sweet voice, smiling at the old woman. The woman in her bath robes whirled around, before smiling politely at the light brown haired teenager.

"'Dis ya man? He 'alked in on me.." She sent him a threatening glare, making the raven haired Uchiha shudder. This was even scarier then Orochimaru without makeup, Sasuke thought to himself. He raised a brow, before smirking to himself. Boyfriend? The raven haired Uchiha knew what the teenager was playing at, but suddenly he felt some type of feeling.. Dare he say it.. It was.. Emo.. Emo.. Emo pride! _Crap, this was not good, _Sasuke concluded sourly. Mel laughed quietly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! He was helping me, you see. I was trying on some new clothes for my upcoming mission and when I told him the stall number I think I said 6 instead of 9. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. Sasuke-kun, can you please apologize to this dear woman?" She asked, sending him a polite look. Her appearance had totally changed. She seemed like a whole different person... Truly innocent and naive. Sasuke blinked incredulously at the teenager, before picking himself up from the ground. He dusted himself off, before giving the old woman a nervous twitch. He folded his arms across his chest, before mumbling under his breath.

"Hn, sorry.."He muttered. The ninety year old woman smiled toothily, before nodding happily. She patted him on the back, much to his dismay. She let out a very amused, dry laughter. "Good luck, lad. Be 'ucky, dat's a fine lady.. Ye both look fine together, 'ave a good evening." She stalked off into the crowd, leaving a duo of a seemingly innocent teenager, and a very dumbfounded Uchiha behind. Sasuke didn't look Melody in the eye, still embarassed about the whole 'got-an-ass-whooping-by-a-crazy-old-bat-with-an-umbrella' thing.

"Hn, thanks."He stated flatly.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Mel muttered and stalked back inside the clothing store. Apparently, the 'Old' her was back. This made Sasuke sigh as they walked back to the store.

* * *

A tall, orange haired man and a red headed medic ninja glanced around the location they were at. Karin tapped her feet impatiently, while Juugo chirped quietly to the birds. The duo stood infront of the village's gates, both waiting for their team mates. Karin gritted her teeth.

"Where are they? They are an hour late!"She exclaimed. Juugo shrugged.

"Possibly losing track of time.. Besides, one of my bird friends informed me of something.."He announced. Karin raised a brow, before folding her arms across her chest.

"_What?" _she asked, incredulous. Juugo tilted his head at the bird that resided on his shoulder, chirping into his ear. Juugo nodded in acknownledgement.

"Bird-kun says he's a bit suspicious about you still.. He's still not convinced that you are not a mud kip."Juugo stated. Suddenly, a clipboard appeared. "How does that make you feel?" Karin grew an anime vein, her fist clenching.

"Tell your stupid bird to screw off!"Karin exclaimed, her left eye twitching. Juugo blinked, before nodding, and writing it down. "Patient seems enraged and full of mood swings. Angered easily. But, fortunately, she has ceased her habit of throwing large, heavy objects. "He mumbled the stuff he was writing aloud, under his breath. Then he turned to Karin, giving her a slight smile. "You're making good progress.." Karin grew an anime vein, before she continued fuming. '_Sasuke-kun, hurry up..'_

_

* * *

_

Suigetsu tapped his chin, blinking. "Wow.. I feel as if I forgot something.. Never mind, just forget it.. It's probably nothing.." He dismissed it. Muffin shrugged, before grinning. "Er, alright?" She replied as they walked towards the exit. Melody was twitching as she sat down on a windowsill, waiting for Muffin to finish. She'd dressed in her new clothes. A dark brown tee and some black shorts, with fishnet on her elbows and knees. She was wearing her leather hiker boots and her new dark brown knuckle cut off gloves. her katana was sheathed at her side, but she'd taken the belt off. Instead, it lay at her left side on the ground. She pinched the bridge of her nose. In her mind, she was thinking... Sorry, Gaara. I hope you never hear about that... Cute couple? Ugh.

"Finished! Er.. Mel, where's Emosuke?"Muffin blinked, glancing around the small little sitting area.. Suigetsu shrugged. He held up some bags in unreadable kanji, but the small little water symbol made it obvious what the contents were.

"I can't believe this place.. They have everything! Even water bottles!"Suigetsu said, before he sorta grinned. Muffin blinked.

"Er.. How did you pay for that? I never saw you pay.."She asked, confused. Suigetsu laughed nervously, scratching his cheek.

"There was a discount.."He muttered. Muffin quirked a smile.

"Really? Which one?"She asked. Suigetsu scratched his cheek, before looking sheepishly.

"The five finger discount? Um.. Oh wait, I forgot! We had to meet with Juugo and Karin.. Oh well, too late now.."He said, shrugging. Muffin blinked.

"You mean we aren't going?"The trio walked away from the store,and through the street. He shrugged.

"Actually ,I was thinking of ditching them and going back to the hotel. We walked so much today.."He explained, before pouting.

"Hell, I'm with Sharky." Mel said and got up. Then she scrunched her nose and narrowed her eyes at the couple. "Do you think me and Sasgay are..." She felt sick to her stomach. "_Cute_ together?" Suigetsu blinked, wondering if he thought he heard Melody right. Suigetsu laughed, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, Mel, I thought you said something.."Suigetsu said, feeling silly. Muffin blinked.

"She did.."She said, dead toned. Suigetsu sweat dropped, before glancing at the disgusted expression of the light brown haired teenager. Suigetsu grinned.

"Did that strange old lady say that to you too? Yeah, I walked into her earlier today, and she started yelling at me for my poor sense of fashion! Psh, like I care.. But still, the nerve of some people! I wonder if she let Sasuke off easy about his buttbow, though.."Suigetsu wondered. Muffin shook her head. "

"It's because he is emo! Like, duh! But.. You never answered her question.."Muffin said, trying to avoid answering the question herself. Suigetsu shrugged.

"I guess, if he wasn't so absorbed with killing his bro. Geez, it's like you two are complete opposites.. You are, like, all for ties, bonds, and friendship. While Sasuke.. Well, not only does he write depressing poetry about them, but stomps on them.. Hard."Suigetsu said, scratching his cheek.

"Sasuke has bonds... He admitted it." She whispered. After I yelled and lectured him, of course,she thought mildly. She was blushing lightly. A maybe? Fuck, that wasn't good enough. That was 50% chance. Ugh, Itachi was right... She thought too much. Suigetsu raised a brow, before chuckling.

"You serious? I think it's hard for him to think 'bout it, 'cause he's so obsessed about his brother.. But to actually put it to words.. Well, he does all the time in his poetry, but he hides it in his closet or something."Suigetsu said, shrugging. The trio saw the hotel in the distance. Suigetsu grinned. "Hey, where _is _Sasuke?"Suigetsu wondered as they entered the building. Melody shrugged.

"He's probably upstairs.."Melody replief. Then she turned to the duo, frowning. "Eh, I'm a bit tired.. I'm going to retire for the night." Mel said and suddenly took off. She ran up the stairs, leaving two puzzled teens behind. Suigetsu blinked.

"Um, okay, that was weird.."

Melody entered the room, before rushing towards her bed. Melody fell onto the mattress and screamed into her pillow... Then closed her eyes and sighed.

"Damn, what a day... And it isn't even over." Mel had fallen asleep, although she didn't notice until she woke up the next morning. She glanced at the clock near the end table. 4: 08 AM. She glanced towards Karin and Muffin, asleep in their own beds'. Her eyes were groggy with sleep. "Mm.. No Madara nightmares..." She murmured in relief. "Actually, what did I dream?" She wondered and tried to think back. But the tendrils of the dream drifted away and she sighed. She couldn't remember. She stared at the ceiling, refusing to let herself fall asleep again.

* * *

**(1) A Trypanophobiac is a person who fears needles. **

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**Bittersweet: *Grins.* Hey! What did you guys think of the chapter?**

**Melody: *Scowls and mutters to herself, still embarrassed about the umbrella lady thing.* Ugh. We're not a couple! And we're not cute together!  
**

**Sasuke: *Smirks.* Hn, hn, hn.**

**Muffin: *Nods happily.* I agree.. Except about that Uchiha baby maker part. *Melody glares at Sasuke.*  
**

**Bittersweet: Well, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.. And we'd appreciate any type of feedback. It would help us to know if there's anything we should add to the story.. Or just what you guys thought of it. Thanks again!**


	27. Chapter 26

**Bittersweet: *Enters the imaginary writer's room.* Hey guys! What's up? Here's the new chapter! **

**Naruto: *Blinks.* Eh, really, that soon, dattebayo? **

**Bittersweet: *Nods.* Yeah.. Actually, we have a lot of stuff written up already. It just takes a while to edit and proof read it all.. *Sweat drops.* But, besides that.. I hope you guys enjoy! Thanks! *Waves.*Hey, Naruto, can you read the disclaimer?  
**

**Naruto: Eh, sure, dattebayo.. *Takes a slip of paper from Bittersweet, and tries to read. He squints his eyes as he tries to read.* Beers.. Sears.. Oh, Tears! *Sweat drops.* Heh, heh, oops.. _Tears_JustFall and.. Um, what does that say? Bitter what?_ Oh.. _Oops, my bad, dattebayo. _Tears_JustFall and Bittersweet don't own.. Me? *Blinks, and is somewhat confused.***

**Bittersweet: *Cue face palm.* No, 'Naruto' is the name of the anime you're in.. *Sweat drops.* **

**Naruto: *Blinks.* Whoa, they have an anime named after me? *Suddenly laughs sheepishly at Bittersweet's growing anime vein.* Uh.. TearsJustFall and Bittersweet Melancholy don't own me.. I mean, um, Naruto, dattebayo! *Scratches the back of his head, and laughs nervously.* _  
_**

* * *

Juugo mixed his tea, thinking absent mindedly. He glanced at the clock that was located in the corner of the room. 12:04 PM. He wondered about his furry friends, mostly because he wasn't allowed to let them inside the motel. So here Juugo was, sitting in a mostly vacant kitchen of the motel, mixing his tea. A dark haired girl yawned, lazily walking into the kitchen. "Good morning, Muffin." Juugo said pleasantly, before sipping his tea. Muffin blinked.

"Um.. Hi?" Muffin replied. Juugo frowned, before taking a sip from his tea.

"You, Sasuke, Melody, and Suigetsu were suppose to meet up with us at the gates..." Juugo said nonchalantly, before sipping his tea again. Muffin blinked, tilting her head confusedly.

"What gates?" She asked, puzzled. Juugo sipped from his tea, his frown deepening.

"The gates at the front of the village.." He replied. Muffin scratched the back of her head.

"What village?" She asked, blinking. Juugo sweat dropped. Juugo was about to reply to that, until the emo teenager entered the small little kitchen.

"Tell everybody to pack up, hn. We have a lead on Itachi, and we need to leave in a half an hour." Sasuke told the dark haired teenager. Before Muffin could reply to that, the raven haired Uchiha stalked out of the kitchen faster then he had walked in. Muffin pouted.

"Um.. I never agreed to doing that.."

_

* * *

_

Melody just lay in bed, frowning and trying to recall her dream. But every time she thought she had a grasp of it, it fluttered away. She groaned and then jumped out of bed. She dressed quickly and strapped on her new little knife to her thigh, than stashed a kunai in her boot, finally attaching her new belt to her waist. It hung a little loosely, with her katana hanging on her lower back. She had a feeling Sasuke would want out of this village, probably afraid of old women with umbrellas. She chuckled,and then frowned. 'Cute? Ugh.' She thought and then opened her door and stepped out, only to stumbled and fall onto someone.

"Oof!"

A red haired medic ninja scowled, looking up from the source of her downfall. She folded her arms across her chest.

"Watch where you're going! Besides.. Have you seen Sasuke-kun? He has been avoiding everybody, even _me,_ since yesturday.. And I have no idea why." Karin said, before fixing her glasses. Melody looked dead panned.

"Um.. Yeah.. I have no idea why, either." Melody said, coughing awkwardly. Karin sighed, before getting up. She dusted off her clothes, before turning to the light brown haired teenager. "You should get ready. I'm pretty sure we're leaving soon." Karin told her, wiping the glasses with the edge of her shirt. Mel just nodded quickly and rushed off.

"I'll be at the gates. Already packed. See ya!" She said hurriedly, already down the hall. She raced out of the motel, waving at Suigetsu, Muffin and Juugo on the way out. She just wanted to be alone right now, she reminded herself when a speckle of guilt flooded her heart. She didn't want to hurt anybody's feelings by walking off early, but she wasn't gonna wait for them. She sighed as she reached the gates and slowed down. She leaned against the wall and slid down to sit.

"Here already, huh?" A monotonic voice spoke from behind her. Sasuke folded his arms across his chest. He raised a brow, his own things already packed and laying neatly by his legs. Sasuke frowned, taking notice of the expression of the light brown haired teenager's face. "..." Melody jumped and shot to her feet. She scowled.

"Fuck! You scared the living shit outta me, Sasuke!" Then her scowl deepened. "I mean, um, Emosuke." She muttered, crossing her own arms across her chest. The raven haired Uchiha's former impassive, stoic face turned into amusement. His lips twitched up in a small smirk, realizing the slip up of nicknames. He raised a brow, getting slightly amused at her antics... Uh, he was only paying attention to her because she was an important asset to the plan.. Um, right? Sasuke sighed inaudibly, as the seconds passed with an awkward, tense silence. Sasuke decided to break the ice.

"Hn, nice morning, isn't it?" Sasuke resisted the urge to face palm his fore head for being such an idiot. Nice morning? What was he thinking? Sasuke coughed at his own slip of character. "I mean.. Hn, because it would be unfortunate if something were to ruin the nice day..." Sasuke inwardly sighed, thinking he did enough damage to his infamous, impassive reputation and ego. Melody's mouth dropped slightly, and she turned towards the Uchiha heir. She blinked and her mouth moved to speak, but, at first, nothing came out. Finally, after flubbering for a while, she responded.

" Are you... Trying to make... Small talk?" She asked, incredulous. Sasuke turned away from the light brown haired teenager, folding his arms across his chest tighter. He rolled his eyes, suddenly feeling a bit awkward... Emoishly awkward.

"N-No, hn! O-Of course not! That is such a waste of time, hn!" He said quickly, realizing that he was caught. Melody was about to respond to that, except she was interrupted from their little conversation when the group made their appearance. Suigetsu and Muffin stood there, confused. Karin made a face at Melody, just because she was breathing in 'her' Sasuke-kun's air. (Technically, everyone was breathing 'his' air, but she ignored this fact.) Juugo, however, only raised a brow.

"Did we.. Interrupt something?" He questioned. Juugo suddenly took out a clipboard, making everybody groan except Sasuke, who remained oblivious. "How does that make you feel?"He asked, ballpoint pen in hand. Melody snorted and rolled her eyes, rubbing her arm.

"No! You didn't interrupt anything! " She said hastily and then shouldered her bag. "Um, should we get going?" She asked, shifting from foot to foot. The members of team Hebi nodded slightly, before exiting through the village gates. The dark haired teenager smiled goofily at her friend, elbowing her lightly in the ribs.

"Psst, Mel! Do you have any idea where we are going?" She asked, slightly confused.

"There is a source on Itachi." Sasuke responded flatly. Muffin raised a brow, pouting.

"Um.. I wasn't asking you. I meant _where_ are we going! Like, duh!" She clarified. Suigetsu scratched his cheek.

"Ne, I have no idea. I think right now, though, we are in some sort of small, non-ninja country."Suigetsu answered. Melody remained silent, staring at the ground with a tight focus. She rolled her eyes and almost smiled at Muffin's comment, but then her face fell into an emotionless mask. Her thoughts were racing. Muffin took Melody's silence differently, though.

"Oi, you aren't worried about your sugar buddy, are you? I'm sure panda is fine!" Muffin whispered loudly behind her hand, making everybody stare at her strangely. Juugo blinked.

"Panda?" He questioned, confused. Juugo wasn't aware Melody possessed a pet panda. Then again, she probably doesn't know he secretly sings along to 'The Lion King' sound track when he's depressed or feels homicidal. Karin rolled her eyes.

"We can hear you, you know." Karin told her, brow raised. Muffin laughed nervously. "..." Melody shook her head and made a noise that sounded like a negative sound. They took it as a 'No, I'm not thinking of Gaara.' She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Mel kicked a stone and chewed on her bottom lip. She wished Muffin wouldn't worry about her.. She was just thinking deeply, that's all. Juugo talked quietly to the small little, blue sparrow on his shoulder. It chirped to him cheerfully and energentically, as Juugo nodded at it, lost in the conversation.

"And then the blue jay totally beaks him on the wing! On the wing!" To everybody else, it seemed like an arguement of unintelligentable chirpings, but this wasn't the case. Suigetsu sighed.

"How much farther do we have to go, Sasuke?" He asked, before yawning. Karin gritted her teeth.

"You asshole, we just left!" Karin exclaimed, growning an anime vein. Suigetsu shrugged.

"Well, I'm already tired.. You know what my bro used to say? 'A man's two legs are useless without his energy.' Or was it something else? Hm.. I dunno." He said, shrugging. Karin snorted, before rolling her eyes.

"You had a brother? I bet he was just as moronic as you." Karin muttered. Melody shook her head and kicked another pebble, only this time manipulating it and making it smack Karin in the back of the head.

"Oops." She muttered lightly, smirking. Suigetsu chuckled, amused at the red haired medic ninja's enraged expression. Muffin snickered.

"Karin, you seem faint. Maybe you should have sugar. Like, duh." Muffin said, nodding happily. _'Was that her answer to everything, hn?'_ The emo teenager wondered. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Isn't it fattening, hn?" He asked, brow raised.

"That's what Itachi said!" Muffin whispered from behind her hand to the swordsman. Suigetsu sweat dropped. "..." Melody frowned lightly, remembering the time she'd told Itachi that she herself thought it was kinda fattening and that was why she didn't eat it that much.

"Mm..." She sighed and ran ahead. "I'm just gonna look around..." Melody mumbled and ran about thirty meters ahead. Nothing but birds chirped and she wished they'd stop. She wanted complete silence. Mel jumped up to the trees and tree jumped, still chewing on her bottom lip.

Muffin blinked, glancing at her light brown haired friend. Her eyes averted to her enclosed bag, where the pills she confiscated were. She was sorta worried about these nightmares of her best friend's. Muffin wasn't stupid. Well, not always. She wasn't always stupid, and she knew that something was... Off. What would Madara do if Melody met him again, face to face? They were bound to, if they stayed with team Hebi any longer...

"Ne, don't worry Muffin! She just needs time to cool off." Suigetsu's voice broke her from her thoughts, giving her an awkward, sharkish grin. "You know, like my brother used to always say.. 'A person needs space'.. Then again, he probably told me this 'cause I would always annoy him about his girlfriends.. But seriously, it was like he had a new one each week! He told me he'd get back at me,one day." Suigetsu, chuckling. Muffin snickered.

"Well, er, if he's not here to annoy you.. I'm here!" She said, nodding happily. Karin rolled her eyes, before fake gagging.

"Get a room." She muttered. Juugo turned to the raven haired Uchiha, his sparrow staring intently at the Uchiha's head. The sparrow blinked, confused. What on Kami's name was a chicken doing on this boy's head?

"Sparrow-kun has informed me of the location of an Akatsuki base not too far away.. It confirms the rumors, although the sparrow says it's vacant.. Should we still go on ahead?" Juugo asked. Sasuke nodded mutely.

"Yes.. Karin might be able to get a lead from there, hn."

* * *

Melody was sitting on a branch about a mile away. She had realized she'd traveled a bit too far from the group and Muffin and decided to wait. She was dangling her legs over a branch, humming distractedly. She then suddenly had an idea. She sent her chakra into the branch, down the trunk of the tree, and into the ground. It expanded greatly as she tried to look as far as she could for everything. Mel concentrated hard to signal out what she was looking for. She could 'see' her friends about half a mile away now, but they were distracted with their own words. A bead of sweat trickled down her chuckled.

"Yeah,and then my brother was all lik.." The white haired swordsman was interrupted from his speech by the red haired medic's exclaimation.

"Can you talk about something else? I said Muffin had no life, but jeez, you have no head!" She exclaimed, pinching her nose.

"Maybe she was an only child. Like, duh." Muffin whispered behind her hand. Suigetsu blinked.

"Aren't you?" He asked, confused. Muffin nodded happily.

"Yeah! But I live so close to my cousin, so that makes up for it. Did I mention she was evil?" The duo didn't take notice of the slight twitch in the Uchiha's eye, as they continued on with their chatter. Sasuke sighed.

"I'm surrounded by idiots.." He muttered. Muffin blinked.

"Didn't you already say that?" Muffin asked, pouting. Melody was listening to their conversation through the earth. She pouted.

"I'm not an idiot... But then again, I'm not surrounding him right now..." Melody muttered and then smirked. "Found it!"

* * *

Suigetsu grinned sharkishly, before teasing his red haired medic ninja team mate. "Nah, I think Karin is only jealous that she doesn't have somebody to talk to.. Not that anybody in their right mind would want to, that is.."He muttered. Karin scowled.

"Shut up, fishbrains! Nobody would want to talk to you anyway!" Karin exclaimed. Suigetsu scoffed at the red head, before laying a casual arm over Muffin's shoulders.

"I'm a total pimp!" He joked, grinning. Muffin blinked.

"Er.. What's a pimp?" She asked, confused. Suigetsu sweat dropped. Karin rolled her eyes.

"You're all such idiots.." She muttered. Suddenly, the red haired medic stopped abruptly. She sniffed the air, before pointing in the direction of the light brown haired teenager. "Found it! It's a few yards ahead of us. So, Sasuke-kun, since you kind of see I'm not completely useless like Suigetsu says I am..." She flashed a glare at the white haired swordsman, before smiling flirtatiously at the Uchiha. "I was.. Kind of wondering.." She was interrupted by the Uchiha's voice, the young avenger raising a quizzical brow.

"Hn.. Melody is already there." Sasuke stated, brow raised. The group of five blinked in confusion, before noticing the light brown haired teenager infront of them. Suigetsu folded his arms behind his head, giving his red haired team mate a grin.

"Ne, what were you saying, Karin? Heh, heh, pwned!" Suigetsu told the red haired medic nin. Karin gritted her teeth, before folding her arms across her chest.

"I could've found it myself!" She exclaimed, growing an anime vein. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, hn.. Come on, let's keep moving." He ordered, sighing. Mel leaned against the tree, rigid as ice. Her jaw was set, she was fighting tears and she'd gotten absolutely no sleep the night before. She glared at anyone who passed her, except for Muffin, who she had sent a grim smile to. She waited until the Uchiha passed to give him her best 'I-Hate-You' glare. Sasuke tried to completely ignore the light brown haired teenager's glare, but there was this feeling in the pit of his stomach... It was.. E.. Em.. Emo.. Emo guilt. _Damn you_, he thought sourly. He folded his arms across his chest. "Let's get moving, hn." The group of six entered the small, dark cave, each with a different reaction. Suigetsu raised a brow, wondering who turned off the lights. Karin broke in nervous sweat, disliking the creepy dramatic music playing in the backround. Sasuke completely ignored everybody except, well, Melody.. (Whom he pretended to ignore, too, for the sake of his emo reputation.) Juugo smiled creepily, snuggling into the feathers of the bird on his shoulder.

"Sparrow-kun.." Juugo said, snuggling the poor bird. Muffin ran her fingers through her dark hair, her eyes averting on and off Melody every other minute. "..." Suddenly, a crow flew down and croaked out of nowhere, making the red haired medic yelp back in surprise. Juugo tilted his head. "He's telling us.. There's a... Message?" He explained, trying to translate what it had said. Mel stood outside the cave, hesitating. She knew her friend and team Hebi were only just a few couple feet inside, but the darkness still made her want to run. She took a deep breath, then several more. She heard Juugo.

"Then listen to it dammit." She muttered grumpily, still trying to find the courage to walk into the darkness. A small flame slowly flickered to life on her fingertips, barely the size of a grape. Suigetsu grinned, looking at it with wide, anime styled eyes as Melody entered the room.

"Whoa, that's so cool!" He exclaimed. The white haired swordsman's finger neared the fire, before drawing back with a scowl. "Ow!" He exclaimed. Karin rolled her eyes.

"Idiot.." Karin muttered. Suigetsu pouted.

"You're so mean.." He mumbled. Sasuke cleared his throat loudly, making everybody incline their heads to the Uchiha. Juugo nodded in acknowledgement, before continuing.

"He said it's over there.. Behind the life time supply of rubber ducky wallpaper in the corner." Juugo told him. Suigetsu snickered, before Karin elbowed his stomach. He pouted, but remained silent. Sasuke shrugged, before walking over to the other side of the room. He used the back of his hilt to push the wall paper away, only to find a piece of paper. Sasuke picked up the parchment, before skimming the words on the page. Sasuke clutched the note, his frown deepening.

"The message is from my brother.. It says to meet him at the Uchiha strong hold. It's not too far from here, hn. It should take about fifteen minutes.. Let's go." He ordered, his face completely devoid of emotion. Mel was already flashing to go. She wanted to warn her sensei, to protect him against death. Her fears were playing at her heart. She looked behind her shoulder, fire left behind. It made her smile slightly, how Suigetsu had burned himself. Melody ran as fast as her feet would carry her. Muffin blinked.

"Wait up, Mel!" Muffin exclaimed. The dark haired teenager was about to take off after her, but Sasuke's voice stopped her.

"Don't. Leave her be." He ordered. Muffin laughed nervously.

"Don't do what, Emosuke?" She asked, looking sheepish. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, his lips edging into a scowl.

"I can't afford any slip ups when I'm this close to killing my brother. If anybody stands in my way, I'll dispose of them." Sasuke stated flatly, his eyes distant. Suigetsu gulped, before rubbing the back of his head. He broke in nervous sweat.

"Ne, Muffin.. I don't think Sasuke is joking.." Suigetsu warned, before laughing nervously. Karin fixed her glasses nervously.

"Uh.. Sasuke-kun.. There's a shorter route we can take, if you want.. North west from here." She suggested. Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement, before following through the direction she pointed out.

* * *

Melody panted, but continued to run. She ignored the twigs and bushes that brushed against her skin. She inwardly smirked when she saw the metal building in sight, before increasing her pace. Suddenly, Melody felt a heavy force restrain her body to the ground. A famillar orange masked figure eye smiled, before giggling childishly.

"Hello, pretty lady!" Said a famillar, energentic, chirpy voice.

"Tobi, you're crushing the poor girl." An amused, deep voice spoke from behind the duo. Tobi shook his head stubbornly.

"No, Tobi is not! Only bad boys do that, Kisame-san! Tobi is a good boy!" Tobi insisted, nodding vigorously. The blue skinned swordsman chuckled, before raising his brow at the group of five that approached them. Kisame grinned.

"Ah, Sasuke.. Your brother is waiting in there.." The raven haired Uchiha nodded, before stepping forward towards the strong hold. Karin blinked.

"U-Um, Sasuke-kun.. Where are you going? I thought we were all going to help you.. Aren't we going with you?"She asked, confused. Suigetsu coughed discreetly.

"Talk for yourself.."He muttered. Karin elbowed the white haired swordsman in the chest, making him wince. Sasuke frowned.

"No, you're all going to stay here." Sasuke said flatly. Karin frowned.

"But..!"Karin started to say, but was interrupted by the Uchiha. Sasuke had narrowed his eyes.

"Karin.." The red haired medic shut up abruptly, before the raven haired Uchiha disappeared into the shadows. Suigetsu turned to the blue skinned Akatsuki member, grinning.

"Oi, Kisame.. Remember me? Mangetsu's little brother?" He asked, before he sorta grinned. Kisame chuckled.

"Ah, yes, Suigetsu.. It's been a while. You've grown." Kisame noted, grinning himself. Then, after a few moments, Kisame sighed. "This is kinda boring.. Waiting for Itachi and all." The white haired teenager scratched his cheek, eyeing the blue skinned man's Samehada.

"Hey, I have a crazy idea on how we can.. Kill the time. Let's have a... Friendly spar. What do you say?" Suigetsu suggested, drawing out his own sword. Muffin rubbed the back of her head, completely oblivious of the fight between the two swordsmans. Her gaze fell on the orange masked Akatsuki member.

"Um.. 'Tobi'.. It's not nice to sit on people.. Tobi is not a good boy?" Muffin said awkwardly, before laughing nervously. The Akatsuki member frowned, before inclining his head to the dark haired teenager.

"What does other pretty lady mean? Tobi is a good boy, Tobi thinks so!" Tobi insisted. Muffin shook her head stubbornly, noticing the light brown haired teenager's uncomfort.

"Hey, get the fuck off me, you sick bastard!" Melody tried to exclaim, but couldn't because of the gloved hand Tobi had latched to her mouth a few minutes before.

"Tobi and pretty lady are best pals, Tobi thinks so!" Tobi declared. Muffin folded her arms across her chest, scowling.

"'Tobi', get off of Mel right now.. Otherwise I'll poof off something you'd rather have." Muffin threatened. She meant the rainbow colored lollypop... He thought differently, though. The orange masked man slid off the light brown haired teenager quickly, before eye smiling at them both.

"Tobi is needed elsewhere, Tobi thinks so.. Good bye, pretty ladies!" The orange masked Uchiha disappeared into a whirl of swirls before Melody could 'attack' him. Suddenly, a famillar Akatsuki member appeared from the bark of a near by tree.

" Humans are.. Very.. Trouble some. " The white half of Zetsu mumbled, raising a brow. The dark half of Zetsu snorted, before responding to his other half.

".. Indeed." He responded.

The two halves of Zetsu suddenly disappeared again, before morphing/appearing in the middle of the two swordsman. They both frowned at the 'sparing' duo. "Kisame, this is no time for fun and games." Said the darker side of the plant-like Akatsuki member. The white half of Zetsu's lips edged into a slight smile. "Madara wants everybody to.. Gather.. Your friend, Sasuke, is located there, resting." He explained to team Hebi. Kisame chuckled, before withdrawing his sword. It laid on his shoulders, before he gave the younger swordsman a shark-like grin.

"We'll continue this another time." Kisame said finally. Suigetsu nodded, wearing an identical grin.

"Definitely." Suigetsu agreed. Juugo blinked.

"Where is Muffin and Melody?" He asked, confused.

The group of seven.. Um, and a half... Turned around to notice the absense of the two teenaged white half of Zetsu shrugged.

"Possibly already there?" The white half suggested. The black half of Zetsu rolled his eyes.

"I doubt it. They were annoying tyrants.. Madara-sama would find them useless for his plan any way. " He replied, shaking his head. Karin sweat dropped.

"We can hear you, you know.." She muttered as she followed the group towards Sasuke's supposed location.

_

Two teenaged girls stood infront of the broken rubble that remained of the Uchiha strong hold. Melody sighed heavily.

"I.. Itachi.." Suddenly, they heard a deep chuckle from behind them.

"Tobi doesn't think pretty ladies should be here, Tobi thinks so." He said, eye smiling. Muffin blinked.

"Eh, what are you doing here?" Muffin asked, confused. How did he get there so fast? Tobi giggled from behind his gloved hand.

"Tobi needs to retrieve Itachi-san's body.. His eyes are important, Tobi thinks so." He said, nodding. Mel glared and flames erupted around her body, encircling her and her friend.

"Go the fuck away! He'll lay in peace!" Melody shouted, eyes speaking murder. Tears leaked from her eyes. "Right Muffin-chan?" She asked, glancing at her friend. Muffin ran her fingers through her hair, before nodding quickly.

"O-Of course, Mel." Muffin replied. Muffin felt empty in the stomach. Itachi was really dead. She averted her eyes, and her gaze fell on the orange masked Akatsuki member.

"So that means step off, Madara. You know, before Mel kicks your ass, eh?" Muffin said, quirking an awkward smile. Mel snickered.

"That's for damn sure." Mel agreed, smiling at her bestie through the tears. She glanced over her shoulder at Itachi's stilled lifeless body. Melody then quickly focused back on Madara. "So why don't you take your new damned Uchiha boy and stomp somewhere else, ne?" The orange masked Uchiha shook his head.

"You see, Tobi needs Itachi-san.." His fingers itched towards his mask, before dramatic, creepy music played in the backround. Muffin sweat dropped. "And I.."Tobi started to say. Suddenly, the song 'Do You Like Waffles?' played loudly from an unknown source. Madara turned red, before coughing awkwardly. He scrambled through the insides of his akatsuki cloak, before pulling out a phone. "Sorry, Tobi gots to take this call." He explained, before clicking a button with his free hand. "Uh huh. Uh huh. Okay, I'll.. Um, I mean, Tobi.. Will be right there." He muttered before hanging up. Madara suddenly sighed, before dropping his hand from his mask, cutting the dramatic music abruptly. Muffin and Melody blinked, confused. What the hell just happened? "It seems that I'm needed somewhere else.. But this isn't the last time, 'Muffin', Melody..." Madara stated, completely serious once more.

"I'd feared so." Mel said quietly, watching as Madara sparkled.. Er, swirled.. Away. Mel sighed. She turned to Muffin with tears in her eyes, flames gone. "I can't believe it Muffin... Itchy-sensei... He's... Dead." She murmured. "I mean, I knew it would happen... But..." The dark haired teenager nodded slowly.

"It's okay.. Me niether. Er, well, ditto."She replied. Muffin tilted her head. "Um.. Let's find Itachi's.. Er.. Body. That way he can.. Lay in peace." Muffin finished, feeling awkward. Mel nodded numbly as she turned around and started searching around. She sighed and walked over to some rubble, kicking it. She looked up when she heard Muffin's choked, "I found him." Muffin rubbed the back of her head, her eyes never leaving her shoes.

"Um.. Let's.. Dig a hole."

* * *

Sasuke blinked, rubbing the back of his head. "Hn, let me get this straight.. Itachi is really a good guy, and he sacrificed everything for me, and he never wanted me to get anywhere near you... And yet you want me to forget all that logic to aid you in your master plan?" Sasuke asked, brow raised. Madara nodded dumbly. "..." Sasuke tapped his chin, still wrapped up in the white covers that smelled faintly of grape. He raised a brow. "What do I get out of it, hn?"He asked. Madara smirked.

"Revenge." Madara said simply. Sasuke nodded vigously.

"Deal, hn!" He exclaimed. Then Sasuke blinked, before inclining his head to the orange masked Uchiha. "Hn, there's one more thing, though.." Madara inwardly, and a bit uncharacteristically, broke in nervous sweat. He wondered if the avenger was going to ask about the two teenaged girls. Instead, Sasuke smirked slightly and asked the orange masked Uchiha a different question..

"..You wouldn't happen to have emo pancakes, would you, hn?"

* * *

Mel nodded in agreement and gently made the wind pick up the dead body of her teacher. She caried outside and then deposited Itachi in front of a huge oak. She stomped her foot, sweating in the efforts of using her powers so much, and the ground dropped down six feet. She placed Itachi in there and then the ground covered itself up again. Mel scratched Itachi's name into the tree with Frankie real quick. She slid down to her bum and sat. Emotional trauma and exertion in chakra had completely whipped her.

"Geez, I'm so tired..." She mumbled. "What do we do now?" She asked, confused. Muffin shrugged.

"Go with the original plan, I guess?" She suggested, slightly tired herself. Then Muffin tapped her chin thoughtfully. "If we do decide to go to Konoha, what are we going to tell them?"She asked, frowning.

"Hi, I'm Melody Char. I know the Kazekage on a personal quota. I also happen to know Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura. Can I please see the Hokage?" Mel offered. She snorted. "Ooh, we're so dead." Melody muttered. Muffin laughed nervously.

"Aw, come on, dude! Naruto will just.. Explain we are wandering nin from a small village.. That want to become ninja?" She said, before blinking. "And don't they give apartments to all ninjas that are minors, or something? And you said yourself, Naruto would let us stay at his apartment if all else fails.. At least I hope, heh, heh.." She rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "I mean, of course he would, right? Um, right?" Muffin asked, laughing sheepishly. Melody nodded.

"Right. But how do we get there?" Mel asked tiredly. She was already starting to kinda black out sometimes for few seconds because of over using her kekkei genkai.

* * *

"What do you mean Sasuke's not coming back, dattebayo?" A certain blonde haired ninja exclaimed to a silver haired jonin. Naruto clenched his fist, gritting his teeth in annoyence. "Sasuke should be coming back now that Itachi's dead, right?" He exclaimed. Kakashi shook his head.

"We don't know by this point, Naruto." Kakashi explained. Sai smiled creepily, before speaking to the blonde haired teenager.

"You know, I remember Sasuke best because of his big.." Sai started to say, tapping his chin. Naruto pressed his palms tightly to his ears, before squeezing his eyes shut.

"Shut up, dattebayo!" He exclaimed, face red.

Sai blinked, confused. "All I was going to say was 'heart'.." Kakashi sweat dropped, but was still kind of confused from his statement. '_Wait..'_ Kakashi turned to the socially retarded student of his, blinking.

"Were you.. Were you trying to be sarcastic just now?" He asked, eyes.. Er, one eye wide. Sai nodded, before showing him a small book. The title read '_Communication for Dummies' _on the cover. Kakashi sighed, and shook his head. "That explains so much.." He muttered, before averting his eyes back to his own book.

* * *

  
Mel blinked drowsily. "Muffin... Do you think... Maybe... You can pop us to the gates?" She asked and blanked out for a few more seconds. Melody looked up at her best friend and gave her a small smile. Muffin blinked, before rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"Um.. The both of us? At the same time? I don't know, I never really tried before.." The dark haired teenager laughed nervously, before shrugging. "I can try though, right?" Muffin rubbed her forhead's temples in overexaggerated focus. "..." Suddenly, their visions blurred and a thick cloud of smoke surrounded them.

Poof!

"..Mel-chan, Muffin-chan? ..What are you doing here, dattebayo?" Asked a famillar voice.


	28. Chapter 27

**Tears: Hey, guess who's back!**

Sasuke: Hn! Hn, hn hn, _hn_!

**Muffin: Wow, you missed her that much, Emosuke?  
**

**Tears: *ignoring Sasuke and Muffin* Yup, me! I'm back from aklahoma, well, I have been for a while, but then high school started and it's all been such a drag -lol-. But anyways, enjoy! **

* * *

"Dickless, are those more of your useless, ugly, whiney friends?" Asked another, strangely happy, creepy sounding voice. A blob of pink bopped the owner of the voice on the head.

"Sai!" Exclaimed a famillar, feminine voice. The trip made Mel kinda sick to her stomach, but when she heard the voices speaking around her she knew they'd made it. Melody smiled tiredly.

"Naruto-nii...!" Mel mumbled before completely blanking out from chakra blinked, before jerking her head to the light brown haired teenager.

"Oi, Mel!" Muffin clutched her head, suddenly feeling light headed. "Ow.. Moved my head too fast.." _Thud. _Sai smiled fakely, tilting his head.

"So, was I correct?" He asked, completely ignoring the now unconscious bodies. Naruto sweat dropped, before scowling at his new team mate.

"Shut up, Sai! Come on, let's carry them, dattebayo!" The blonde haired ninja exclaimed. Sakura frowned.

"Where are you going to bring them?" She asked, raising a brow. Naruto shrugged.

"My apartment of course, dattebayo! 'Cause, in case you didn't notice Sakura-chan, the floor doesn't seem too comfortable.." He said, before nodding dumbly. Sakura sweat dropped.

"You can't just do that! They probably don't even have proper paper work!" She said incredulously. Naruto started to laugh sheepishly before breaking in nervous sweat. Sai blinked.

"Forgive me for interrupting Hag, but Dickless's friends look half dead.. I advise we place them into a hospital." He said, his book now closed. Naruto pouted.

"A hospital? Er, I dunno.. Mel doesn't seem like the kind of person to like hospitals, dattebayo.." He told them, rubbing the back of his head. Sakura gritted her teeth.

"Naruto, she's probably suffering from chakra exhaustion, you idiot!" She exclaimed. Naruto blinked.

"O-Oh, right, dattebayo!" Naruto laughed nervously, before picking up the light brown haired teenager and slinging her over his shoulder. "Oi, Sai, can you pick up Muffin-chan? And don't drop her, her head is dense enough as it is, dattebayo.." Naruto snickered, but was interrupted by a blow to the head. He pouted. "Sakura-chan, I was only kidding!" The pink haired chunnin rolled her eyes, before ushering the two ninjas to the direction of the hospital.

A raven haired Uchiha paced back and forth, ignoring the orange masked Uchiha that stood in the corner of the room. Madara chuckled. "Sasuke-kun, just lay down and rest.. You just finished a long battle. This won't help my plan.. I mean, um, our plan.. He, he, he.." Sasuke sighed.

"Hn, I know, but.." Sasuke started to say, before running his fingers through his hair. "Where's.. Where's Melody?" He asked, feeling awkward. Madara eye smiled, slightly amused.

"Concerned?" He asked, brow raised. Sasuke shook his head stubbornly.

"N-No, hn! I just.. Have a bad feeling.." He muttered. Madara chuckled, before turning towards the door on the other side of the room.

"You can stop hiding, you know." He said. Suddenly, the door slammed open, and a pile of four bodies fell through. Karin scowled.

"Suigetsu, you idiot!" She exclaimed, growing an anime vein. Suigetsu laughed nervously.

"Um.. Oops?" Suigetsu said, feeling awkward. Kisame chuckled, before getting up from the ground. Then he turned to Sasuke, blinking.

"Um.. Does the emo kid have a thing for girly, or something?" He asked, feeling slightly out of the loop. Suddenly, everybody except Sasuke burst out laughing. (Because Emosuke was busy sulking.) Suigetsu wiped an nonexistant tear from his eye.

"Good one.." He told him, shaking his head. Kisame frowned.

"I was serious.." He said, brow raised. Everybody sweat dropped. "..." Suigetsu scratched his cheek.

"Eh, Melody and _Sasuke?_ Don't you think that's a bit far fetched? She, like... Hates his entire essence. No offense, Sasuke." Suigetsu muttered the last part. Sasuke just glared at him. Kisame laughed, before shrugging at the group that gave him quizzical stares.

"You never know.."Kisame said. Karin folded her arms across her chest.

"Psh, for once, I agree with fish brains! That'll never happen! Right Juugo? Um, Juugo?"She asked, confused. The tall, orange haired bipolar ninja was busy snuggling with a small bird plushy from who knows where.

"Bird-kun.."

Everybody sweat dropped again. "..."

.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes on the blonde haired ninja infront of her desk. "Let me get this straight.. Two wandering nins with no papers, no money, and no home, just randomly appear infront of the village, and you happen to know them, so you think that I'll offer them citizenship, room and board, food, and an oppuntunity to become a ninjas?" Tsunade asked, incredulous. Naruto laughed nervously.

"Um.. Yeah, dattebayo?" He said, unsure. Tsunade sighed,waving her hand dismissively.

"Fine, whatever.." She muttered. Naruto blinked in surprise.

"You serious, dattebayo?"He asked. Tsunade snorted.

"Hell no. Don't you know how much paper work that would take?"She exclaimed, before growing an anime vein. Naruto blinked.

"Um.. No?" He told her. Suddenly Shizune popped up.

"Milady, the girls are seemingly conscious." She informed nervously, still a little spooked after their shouts for emo pancakes. Naruto blinked, rubbing the back of his head confusedly.

"Conscious? Ne, that's a big word, dattebayo.." He mumbled. Tsunade rubbed her temples, annoyed.

"What do you mean, Shizune?" She asked. The black haired ninja laughed sheepishly, still creeped out from the sudden events.

"Um.. I'd rather not say.. Milady, how soon will they be discharged from the hospital? And, um, when they do, where are they going to go?" She asked. Naruto blinked.

"What do you mean, dattebayo? Don't you guys have some type of apartment coverage plan for mimes or something, eh?" He asked, grinning. Tsunade grew an anime vein,her patience thinning.

"It's minors Naruto, not mimes! And.. Well.. We can't exactly cover that, even if they did become ninjas.." She muttered. Naruto blinked.

"Er.. How come?" He asked, confused. Shizune frowned.

"Milady.. Please don't tell me you blew off the budget for your gambling.. Again!" She broke in nervous sweat, not wanting to deal with the two teenaged girls more then she had to. Tsunade rolled her eyes.

"Of course not, Shizune!" Tsunade exclaimed, annoyed. Shizune sighed in relief. "Oh, thank Kami.. Milady, you scared me for a momen.." Tsunade started to cough awkwardly, before speaking.

"I blew the budget off for sake." She told her. Shizune fell anime style.

Muffin and Melody laid in their hospital beds, which consisted of white, linen, satin sheets and flat, uncomfortable pillows. Melody was huddling under her covers. She hated hospitals. They reminded her of her father and she knew needles were around here somewhere. She'd taken out the IV in her arm and pressed the blanket to her skin to stop the bleeding. Fear pumped her heart. She could hear Muffin's wails for pancakes. And then a sudden, "Dattebayo?" Caught her attention. She bolted her head out of the covers.

"Naru-nii?" She called blonde haired ninja grinned,before giving them a nice guy pose, which consisted of a thumbs up and a wink of his left eye. "That's me, dattebayo! Eh, come on, Mel-chan, Muffin-chan.. You're coming to my apartment!" Sakura rolled her eyes,before folding her arms across her chest.

"Actually, that's only after they're discharged from the hospital, you idiot! Um.. How are you guys feeling? Melody, you passed out from chakra exhaustion.. And Muffin, you passed out from.. This strange condition.." Sakura rubbed the back of her head confusedly, holding a small medical report/clipboard in her arms. Muffin grinned goofily.

"Yeah, it's called 'sugar dehydration'. Like, duh!" Muffin said, nodding happily. Sakura sweat dropped, before coughing awkwardly. She suddenly smiled at the two bedridden teenaged girls. "Well, on the bright side, you two should be discharged tomorrow morning.. You have to stay another night just to make sure your conditions are stable.." Muffin blinked.

"Wait.. Why are we staying with Naru-nii, though?" She asked. Didn't they get apartments, or something? Naruto pouted.

"What, you don't want to stay with your 'nii-san'?"He asked, pouting. Muffin laughed nervously.

"No, it's not that! Heh, heh.." Mel's eyes went wide. She jumped to her feet and ran to hide behind Naruto.

"No! I'm not staying! I'm fine! " She shouted, clinging to her nii-san. "So there." She said, sticking her tongue out at Sakura from over Naruto's shoulder. She snickered. Suddenly, loud shouts were heard from the other room..

"Shut up, will you?" Exclaimed a famillar voice. Another equally loud voice was heard.

"Oh come on, you're just mad you owe me ten ryo and.." Two certain Suna ninja, and a very creepy looking Konoha ninja burst through the door, making Naruto blink. Sai smiled fakely.

"These two, whiney, unintelligent beings were looking for you, Dickless." Sai told him. Kankuro folded his arms across his chest.

"Oi, now that Naruto is here, we have an even score! Tell us Naruto, who looks cooler? Me or Temari?" He asked suddenly. Naruto shrugged.

"Well, Temari has a giant fan, dattebayo.. And you.. Well, you're wearing a cat suit, dattebayo." Temari smirked.

"Ha,twenty ryo,dear little brothe.. Melody?"She asked, eyes wide. Naruto nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, they're back, dattebayo!" Mel smiled brightly.

"Kitty-chibi!" She shouted happily and ran to give him a hug. "I bet you missed my cooking!" She laughed and jumped off him to hug Temari. Mel's eyes went wide. "Where's Gaara-kun? Is he okay? He better be okay!" She said in a rush. She pulled back to stare at Temari hopefully. Temari chuckled, while Kankuro snickered.

"Don't worry, your boyfriend is fine.." Temari answered, smirking. Naruto scowled.

"I can't believe my 'onee-chan' has a boyfriend.. Onee-chans' of mine shouldn't have boyfriends, dattebayo!" He turned to Muffin, giving her a happy, protective, goofy grin. "But you don't have a boyfriend, my other supposedly onee-chan.. Thank Kami, dattebayo! Um, right?"He asked. Muffin laughed nervously. "..." Kankuro snorted.

"Well, of course, Naruto! Ditz over there can't get a boyfriend! _Duh!_"He added the last part just for kicks. This made Muffin pout. The newest member of team Kakashi was reading a small book, lost in the words of the pages.

"Hm.. Relationships for dummies.." Sai mumbled. Naruto blinked.

"Ne, fan lady, kitty dude.. What're you doing here, dattebayo?" Kankuro folded his arms across his chest, giving him a cheshire grin. "We're here 'cause Gaara is a stalker and just happened to know Mel was here." Suddenly, the kitty clad Sunagakure ninja fell to the floor with an inaudible thud. Kankuro blinked, realizing that his was surrounded by sand.. Before gulping and laughing nervously.

"U-Um, hey, Gaara! Y-You know I was only kidding, r-right? Heh, heh, heh.." Kankuro was breaking in nervous sweat. The red haired Kazekage rolled his eyes, before inclining his head to Melody. "..." His eyes widened in surprise. Mel beamed.

"GAARA!" She shouted and suddenly latched onto his leg like five year olds did to their fathers. She smiled. "I missed you!" she sang and then glanced at Konkuro. "Eh... I do believe you're going to give your brother a heart attack if you continue that, Gaa-kun." Gaara raised a brow,but smiled at the light brown haired teenager,the sand around his feet disolving. Kankuro sighed in relief.

"Phew! You'd think that after living with him all your life, you'd get used to that.."He muttered. The pale, dark haired, crop topped ninja smiled fakely at the two teenaged girls. "Greetings, my name is Sai. You must be Dickless's whiney, ugly, useless friends I've been hearing about." Naruto grew an anime vein, clenching his fist with a scowl.

"Hey!He exclaimed. Mel suddenly rose to her feet, an angry anime vein pumping above her right eye. Her fists were clenched as she took two menacing steps towards Sai.

"I'd take that back if I were you. I might cut off something that you'd rather keep!" She snapped. She initially meant his hair... Sai blinked thoughtfully,tapping his chin with his index finger. "I've read about this before, in a certain book.." Naruto sweat dropped, breaking in nervous sweat.

"Um, Sai, if I were you, I'd shut up, dattebayo.."Naruto told him, laughing nervously. Sai tilted his head, confused.

"But Naruto, if you were in my position, you wouldn't have to worry.. You're dickless, after all!" Naruto clenched his fist angrily, ignoring the snickering coming from Kankuro. Temari rolled her eyes, before turning to the blonde haired ninja.

"To answer your question Naruto, we're here on official business. It's traditional for the Kazekage to oversee the chunnin exam, like the exam we attended.. And there's some international issues that we need to run by with the hokage, too."She explained. Sai turned to the teenaged girls again, giving them a small frown.

"Hm.. In my relationships for dummies books, they say friends generally give each other nicknames for casuality.. I wonder what I should.." Sai snapped his fingers, before nodding slowly. "I got it! Airhead, and witch.. Because it rhymes with bitc.." Sai was cut off from the two sudden hands that had covered his mouth. Naruto and Sakura laughed nervously. "..." Mel's eyes bulged angrily.

"LEMME AT HIM! LEMME AT HIM!" She shouted, but was held back by Gaara's sand. All three sand siblings sweat dropped. Sakura sighed and walked over to Muffin, leaving Naruto to tackle Sai's mouth. She smiled at the dark haired girl.

"So, how are you feeling Muffin? No longer... Uh... sugar deprived?"She asked. Muffin shook her head happily.

"Nope! See?" She held out a random bag of sugar, making the pink haired medic nin raise a brow.

"Um.. How..?" She sighed, before shaking her head. "Whatever.."She dismissed it. Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well, this is cool and all, but we really need to get going, dattebayo! You can't expect me to leave my onee-chans' in a hospital over night, do ya?" He asked, grinning. Sakura scowled, growing an anime vein herself. She turned her back on them as she put the clipboard back to the wall board.

"Yes, I do! They can't fully heal with you bringing them to your.. Um ,Naruto?" The pink haired medic blinked in confusion, before realizing she was the only one in the room._ "Naruto!"_She exclaimed, before running after them. Melody was still clinging to Gaara's leg as everyone walked to Naruto apartment. She was smiling.

"So, nii-san, you have room for me and Muffin at your place?" She asked him, beaming. Naruto nodded vigorously.

"Yeah,dattebayo! And don't worry, I just stocked up on a bunch of ramen!" Naruto told her, nodding dumbly. Gaara sweat dropped.

"Um.. Not that I mind you clinging, but can you cling to my back, or something?" He asked, feeling awkward under all the stares the onlookers on the street were giving him. Temari smiled evilly.

"Aw, my little brother is growing up! Soon, they'll be holding hands, then kissing, then marriage, and then.. _Babies!"_ Temari's left eye glinted evilly as she saw their expressions'. Oh, this was fun. Kankuro smirked, amused.

"You better name one after me!" Naruto blinked.

"Whoa, what's wrong with Gaara's face? It's so red! Wait.. Babies, dattebayo?" Mel fell off Gaara's leg anime style. Her face was blistering red too. She jumped to her feet and smacked Temari upside the ponytails.

"Shut up, Temari!" She snapped, blushing profusely. Then she pouted at Gaara. "But your gourd is on your back! How am I suppose to cling to your back if your gourd is already doing so? And besides, if I clung to your gourd, that would look strange..." She said, pouting. Naruto shook his head, as the group of eight neared a small building. He grinned goofily, before opening the door to his apartment complex.

"Here it is!"

* * *

**Tears: Dun dun DUN! Cliffy. Don't you just love us?**

**Ja'ne,**

**Tears and Bittersweet  
**


	29. Chapter 28

**Bittersweet: *Enters writer's room, waving.* iHola! It's me, Bittersweet, and here's the new chapter! **

**Sasuke: *Scowls, before folding his arms across his chest.* Hn, hn, hn?**

**Bittersweet: Are you in it, you ask? No, you're not. (Sighs in relief.) **

**Sasuke: *Grows an anime vein.* Hn, hn, _hn!_  
**

**Naruto: *Rolls eyes.* Ignore teme, dattebayo. He's just annoyed he can't update his emo poetry on LiveJournal because everybody keeps on using the computer. **

**Bittersweet: Really? But isn't the computer usually free all day?**

**Naruto: Eh, actually, no. Orochimaru is usually on Google browsing pictures of little boys all day, Tears either is IM-ing with her friends, on FaceBook, or on DeviantArt, Itachi's always reading FML(lol), Ero-sennin usually looks at porn as long as the FireWall doesn't block that particular website, and Kakuzu usually scams people on Craigslist. **

**Bittersweet: (Sweat drops.) Um.. Wow. Well, that's.. Interesting... (Clears throat.) But, besides that, please enjoy the chapter! Thanks!  
**

* * *

"Dickless, your apartment smells like rotten eggs." When Sai said this, he was wearing a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Mel almost gagged.

"The horror!" She screamed, then jumped off Gaara and ran back outside to breath in deep gasps of fresh air. Temari rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on, the blonde kid's apartment can't smell that bad and.. Eck!" The blonde haired Suna ninja pinched her nose, her eyes watering. Kankuro sniffed the air for a moment, before giving it a sour face.

"What the hell? Did something die in here? " Kankuro asked, brow raised. Naruto pouted.

"You guys are just being dramatic, and.. Aw man, I stepped on another cockroach, dattebayo!" Naruto said, pouting. Melody sent Muffin a scared look.

"I'm not sleeping in that mess..." She whispered, still horrified. Muffin grinned evilly, before handing Kankuro and Naruto a random broom that came out of nowhere.

"I think you'll need this." Muffin told them, nodding happily. Kankuro groaned.

"Aw man, you guys aren't deserting us, are you?" He asked, scowling. Gaara shook his head, before raising a brow at the other ninjas.

"I'm tempted to, but no, we're not. Maybe we should get more supplies? Like paint?" He asked. Sai still retained his fake smile.

"You know, Kakashi-sensei recommended a wallpaper to me once.. It was part of the Icha Icha furniture collection." Sai said, nodding. Everyone in the room gave him a deadpanned stare,their frowns deepening._ "No." _They all said in unison, dead toned. Then Naruto grinned goofily.

"Ooh! Ooh! How 'bout the color orange,dattebayo?" He asked, eyes wide. The brown haired puppet master snorted.

"What is with you and the color orange?" Kankuro mumbled under his breath.

"It's a cool color, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed, before sticking his tongue out. Kankuro rolled his eyes.

"No it's not." Kankuro retorted. Gaara sighed.

"Just let him get what he wants." He muttered. Sakura rubbed her temples, annoyed.

"Temari and Kankuro will go pick up the trash. Muffin, Gaara, and Melody will get the paint. Naruto and Sai will fix the little things around the apartment, and I will get from supplies from a tool store, OK?" She asked, hands on hips. Naruto pouted.

"Sakura-chan, you're babying me again, dattebayo.." Naruto whined. Kankuro sniggered.

"Whipped!" He said inbetween coughs. Sakura twitched, her fist tightening, her forhead throbbing with an anime vein.

"_What did you say?"_ She asked, twitching. Kankuro laughed nervously.

"Heh, heh.." He laughed nervously. Sakura cracked her knuckles, before advancing on the kitty clad ninja. Gaara rolled his eyes, before folding his arms across his chest.

"Come on, let's go get the paint before the stores close." He muttered, ignoring the sudden change of aura from the pink haired medic nin. As the three ninja left the apartment, they heard the anime wails of a certain puppet master.

"Gaara,help me!~" The sound of glass and dry wall breaking was heard. Melody frowned.

"Uh... Okay..." She murmured. Then she snorted. "He's so dependant on his baby bwother!" She teased, poking Gaara's cheek. Gaara's eye twitched. Muffin laughed, before nodding happily.

"Yeah! So.. Which color are we going to get? Ooh, ooh! How 'bout unicorn wallpaper?" She asked, excited. The dark haired teenager bounced up and down, her bangs falling infront of her face. Gaara sweat dropped.

"Uh.. The local paint stores that, um, have that wall paper.. Are.. Out of stock?" Gaara said, sweat dropping. Muffin scowled.

"Aw man.." She muttered, pouting. Gaara sighed in relief. "..."Mel grinned.

"How about rubber ducky wallpaper?" She asked. Gaara gave her a dead toned stare.

"Rubber.. Ducky.. Wallpaper?" The red haired Suna ninja was puzzled, only left with the option to give his girlfriend a quizzical look. Muffin grinned evilly.

"Totally!" She exclaimed. Gaara shook his head, sighing.

"I will never understand you two.." He quirked a smile, though, as the three walked into the shop. Mel grinned.

"Nope! Because we're just that awesome!" She giggled and then chuckled. "And you don't even understand half the joke when we suggest rubber ducky wallpapers..." She added the last part under her breath. Gaara shook his head again, still retaining his smile. An employee, in the paint shop's apron like uniform, walked up to them.

"Hello, welcome to Sherwin Williams! Do you need some help?" He asked pleasantly. Muffin blinked.

"They have one here?" She whispered from behind her hand. Gaara nodded at the employee.

"We're looking for some paint for a friend's apartment." He told him. The employee handed them a small book, filled with different shades of colors. "Here is the sample book. Call if you need any assistance." He told them, before walking away. Melody grinned.

"Choose the pink one!" She exclaimed. Gaara rolled his eyes, before teasing the light brown haired teen.

"That's mean.." He told her, before quirking a smile. Muffin grinned, before nodding vigorously.

"Yeah, the pink one!" She exclaimed. Gaara snorted.

"Just get the color he wanted.." He muttered. Melody sighed. 

_"Fine."_ She groaned and pouted at Muffin. "But we're still getting the rubber ducky wallpaper." She muttered to her friend. She grabbed an assitant's arm.

"Hey, can we get Sunset Orange paint and some rubber ducky wallpaper please?" The employee tilted her head, confused. "Rubber ducky wallpaper? Huh, really? That one is kind of unpopular.. Only one buyer purchases the product, and out of country too. Somewhere in Amegakure." She told them, before shrugging. Muffin and Melody broke in nervous sweat, both giving her a sheepish laugh/chuckle. The employee shrugged. "Okay,sure. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Heh heh, I wonder who that might have been..." Melody laughed nervously, sweatdropping. Muffin smiled sheepishly, before walking over to the counter. The employee arrived, and put the products on the counter. She rang the items up, before handing them their supplies.

"Thirty dollars and seventy six cents, please." She told them. Muffin blinked, before checking her pockets. She laughed nervously.

"Um, I'm kinda broke.. And low on chakra, too." She laughed, before rubbing the back of her head. "Getting sugar out of nowhere really depletes it fast, you know!" Muffin told them, nodded sadly. Then she looked at Gaara and tilted her head.

"Heh heh, hey almighty Kazekage, ya mind paying for that?" Melody asked, leaning on him and grinning. He sighed and nodded. He walked to the counter. He took out a few dollars, but the employee shook her head. She gave it a flirtatous smile.

"It's okay kazekage-sama, this one is on me.." Muffin sweat dropped, not entirely used to a.. Er, well, real fangirl. Melody scowled. "..." Gaara ignored her, and took the bag, before walking out of the building. Muffin and Mel, both shrugging and smiling, followed behind him.

"Wow, you should come with me the next time I buy sugar!"Muffin said, nodding vigorously. Melody was still scowling though. "If I ever see her lay eyes on my panda-kun again, I swear to fuckin' Jashin that I'll gorge her eyes out of their sockets..." She growled, jealousy stirring in her soul.  
Muffin grinned goofily.

"Aw, don't be so worked up, Mel! You know panda dude only has eyes for one foul mouthed, element controlling, Naruto looking...Um, you get the point. Er, if you still go through with that plan though, I can help you hide the body, ne?" Muffin laughed. Melody grinned.

"You know that I always pack two shovels!" She laughed and patted Muffin's shoulder. Gaara gave the girls a strange look, but smiled awkwardly. "So, you're.. Jeal.. Um.. Uh.." He started to ask. Mel frowned.

"No." She snapped a little too quickly. The red haired kazekage smirked, before folding his arms across his chest.

"Sure, sure." He rolled his eyes, but smiled. The three ninjas neared the blonde haired teenager's apartment. Naruto's head popped out of the window, before he waved.

"Ne, onee-chans, Gaara, hurry up! We're getting bored here, dattebay-" Suddenly, Naruto slipped half way off the ledge. Naruto laughed nervously. "Er.. I'm fine,dattebayo! Heh,heh.." Melody blinked.

"Sure you are." She sighed and started up the stairs. "We probably should hurry up before he breaks something that can't be fixed easily..." She laughed and jumped up two steps at a time on the stairs. They entered the blonde haired teenager's apartment, the red head kazekage holding the plastic bags full of paint and wallpaper.

"Okay, we're back and.. Whoa." Muffin, Melody, and Gaara blinked in surprise, realizing how.. Clean.. The apartment was. Sakura smiled broadly.

"Hey,guys! We did some work while you were gone.." Sakura told them, nodding. Gaara raised a brow.

"I'll say.." He muttered. Naruto walked into the room, with a broken, leaking water pipe attached to his arm.

"Oh, hey guys, dattebayo!" Naruto greeted, grinning. Sakura's eyes widened.

"Naruto, what happened?" She asked. Naruto laughed nervously.

"Oh, hi Sakura-chan! I kinda.. Er.. Got my hand stuck on the ledge, and I didn't know any other way of getting it out. Heh, heh.." Sakura bopped him over the head, scowling.

"_Again? _Naruto, you idiot!" She exclaimed. Melody's jaw dropped.

"Oh my Jashin! Naruto, you baka!" She scolded and shook her head. Sai, who's nose was hidden in his book, looked up at them. He gave them a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Well, that's not as bad as the.. _Other _place... Dickless got stuck in." Sai told them. Naruto's face turned red.

"Shut up, Sai!" Naruto exclaimed, before covering his mouth. Earlier, while Sakura went to get more supplies, and when Temari and Kankuro were working on another room, Sai and Naruto were working on the bathroom...

* * *

**Flashback**

* * *

Naruto was adjusting a pipe that connected to his shower with a wrench, while Sai was sitting in the corner of the room reading his book. Dry wall and pipes surrounded most of Naruto's free space. His orange/black jacket was now tied around his waist, with his black T shirt soaked in sweat. The blonde wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, before turning to his team mate. He grew an anime vein. "Oi, Sai! Why aren't you doing anything, dattebayo?" He asked, annoyed.

"Because I am busy studying about human behavior and communication." Sai replied simply, before flipping a page. Naruto sighed.

"Eh, then why don't you go back to _your_ house, dattebayo?" Naruto asked, still slightly annoyed. Sai gave him a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"If I did, I wouldn't be able to observe normal human behavior." Sai told him, eyes still glued to his book. Naruto rolled his eyes, before sighing.

"Eh, then can you at least pass me the pliers, dattebayo?" Naruto asked, blinking. Sai frowned, before glancing down at his page. **'If somebody gives you something, always say 'Thank you'. If you ask somebody for something, always add 'please.'' **Read the confused Sai. What if you _didn't _say 'please'?Would that mean.. He couldn't give him the object he asked for? Human behavior is so complicated! "Ne, Sai? Didn't you hear me, dattebayo? Can I have the pliers?" Naruto asked.

"No." Sai told him. Naruto stopped, before sitting up to stare at him.

_"_No?" Naruto repeated, raising a brow. Sai closed his book, blinking. '_Didn't I do it correctly? What did I do wrong?' _He quickly skimmed through the pages, tuning out the blonde ninja._ 'It seems that I did everything according to the text.. But I still don't get it. Was I supposed to give it to him regardless of the word? Wait.. Oh, I see! Dickless is testing my ability of human communication! Right? Um, right? They used to do this all the time when I was training for R00ts, so why would this be any different?' _He wondered, before glancing at Naruto. Sai raised a brow. '_I was never aware Dickless was so great at acting, though..'_

"No, I will not give you the plier." Sai clarified. Naruto scowled.

"Oi, how come, dattebayo?" He asked, now slightly confused. Sai shook his head.

"Because I cannot hand you the plier, of course." Sai told him. He raised a brow. '_Wasn't that the answer?' _He wondered, puzzled. Naruto let out an anime styled breath of air, before pouting.

"Look, just gimme the plier, dattebayo. If you do, I'll.. Uh.. Give you some ramen, dattebayo!" He offered, nodding dumbly. Sai blinked at the blonde's proposition. _'If a person didn't say please when asking for an object, were they supposed to give an object instead_? _I'm not famillar with this strange, human ritual.._ _Is that why Dickless is giving me a consumable material(Ramen)_?_ Or maybe because he thought I needed it.. But I never asked for it, though.. Was I supposed to? But I didn't say please!_ _Did that mean I had to give something in return?' _Sai wondered, before staring down at the plier. Sai shrugged and then gave it to the blonde ninja. Naruto took it, before starting to adjust the pipes again, which confused Sai even more. _'Wasn't he supposed to say 'Thank you'? If he didn't, did I have to take the object back then? This is so complicated..' _He thought, before suddenly grabbing the plier away from the blonde.

"Oi, I wasn't done using that, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed, before reaching out for the plier. Sai jerked back, but the blonde ninja grabbed a hold of the plier anyway. "Gimme the plier, Sai!" Naruto exclaimed, growing an anime vein. Sai shook his head vigorously. The two teenagers started to pull the plier back and forth. '_I thought I was supposed to take the object back.. Hm.. Perhaps_ _I read the paragraph wrong?'_' Sai wondered, before letting go of the plier for the time being to skim through his book. Naruto jerked back, before crashing into the rubble of dry wall and pipes. "Ow.." Naruto mumbled under his breath. Sai blinked, before looking up from his book.

"Dickless?" Sai called, confused. "Where did he go?"Sai wondered aloud.

"I.. I'm over here, dattebayo.." Naruto called, now buried under all the rubble. Sai blinked.

"Um.. No offense, Dickless, but isn't it uncomfortable sitting in all that trash?" Sai asked, wondering why he hadn't gotten up yet.

"Shut the hell up, Sai! I can't.. I can't get up, dattebayo.." Naruto told him, pouting. His face was red, but Sai couldn't see this.

"How come?" Sai asked, confused. Was this part of the 'ritual'?

"'Cuz.. Well.. 'Cause I'm stuck, dattebayo.." Naruto muttered, sounding slightly embarrassed. Naruto pushed off some of the stuff off himself. Sai started walking over to him, puzzled.

"What do you mea...? _Oh."_ Sai said, just realizing _where_ Naruto got stuck in. "Um.. What do you suggest we do, Dickles.. Uh, Naruto?" Sai asked, brow raised. Naruto's face turned red as he grew an anime vein.

"Hand me the fucking plier, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed. Sai sweat dropped, before handing it to him. As Naruto began to, um, work on his.. Technical difficulties.. Sai continued to read his book, unfazed.

* * *

** End flashback**

* * *

"This is going to be a long day..." Melody muttered to Muffin. Muffin nodded sadly but grinned.

"But don't worry! I packed extra sugar!" She said, patting her bag. Mel grinned. Naruto laughed nervously. "..." Sakura blinked, before smiling again, and taking the bags from Gaara.

"Thanks! Hm, what color did you get? Huh, I wonder if it's pink. It better not be.." She gave the orange paint a dead panned expression. "..Orange." She finished, dead toned. Naruto grinned goofily, before giving the two teenaged girls a thumbs up.

"You got just what I wanted, dattebayo! Thanks!" Suddenly, Kankuro and Temari entered the room, panting. Beads of sweat soaked their brow, both holding brooms, dust pans, Windex, and paper towels.

"I never worked so hard in my life.."Kankuro mumbled under his breath. Melody snickered at Sakura.

"Me and Muffin wanted to get him pink, but Gaara insisted on what Naruto wanted. Spoil sport." She muttered the last part in Gaara's general direction. Gaara just rolled his eyes. Then she blinked at Temari and Konkuro.

"Eh, what have you two been doing?" She asked. Kankuro twitched.

"You don't want to know." Kankuro muttered. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"They just finished cleaning up Naruto's closet, see?" She pointed at a small trash bag, making Muffin raise a brow.

"I don't get it.. That's not much.. I mean, like, I've seen bags of sugar that were bigger then that!" Muffin told them, nodding happily. Gaara sweat dropped, before pointig behind the small garbage bag.

"I think that's what she meant.." Gaara said. Gaara was pointing at eight gigantic bags, with a horrible odor radiating from it. Kankuro pinched his nose. "Be careful, it's toxic!"He warned. Melody rolled her eyes.

"Come on, it can't be that bad.." Melody said, snorting. Temari cringed.

"You don't know what was in there.."She muttered. Kankuro wiped a over exaggerated tear from his eye.

"I'm so.. Mentally.. Scarred.." He said dramatically. Sakura sighed, before taking out a few paint brushes.

"Okay, let's just hurry up and paint the walls, and we'll be finished before the BQQ resturant closes." Naruto pouted.

"Why not the ramen bar, Sakura-chan, dattebayo?" Naruto whined. Sakura shook her head.

"Because Ramen is not healthy to eat all the time, idiot!" Melody blinked and grinned.

"We're going for barbecue? Fucking fantastic, yeah!" She said, punching the air happily. She then grabbed some paintburshes and frowned. _'But I want barbecue now...''_ She then thought of a single plan. She grinned. "Eh, guys, step outside for a bit, kay?" She asked, an evil glint in her eyes. Gaara blinked.

"Why?"He asked, giving her a strange look. Kankuro and Temari shared a look, before nodding frantically and fleeing the living room. Gaara shook his head, and sighed. Sometimes he'll never understand those two. Naruto shrugged.

"Okay, 'onee-chan.' Let's go, you guys, dattebayo!" Mel waited until everyone was out of the apartment before closing her eyes in concentration.

* * *

_Itachi's fist connected with Melody's stomach, making her gasp for breath. A small amount of blood trickled from her mouth. "Ouch Itchy-sensei! That hurt! I thought we were training!" She snapped and dodged one of his blows. Itachi frowned._

_"We are, but I won't take it any lighter on you than the 'bad guys' will." He said. He stepped back from her for a moment, before speaking again."I'm preparing you." He said simply. Mel frowned, finding what he said to be highly ironic since he was a bad guy himself... Sorta. She sighed. Another blow hit her, except this time, it was on her shoulder blade._

_"Ouch, dammit!" She exclaimed.  
_

_"Try concentrating on a singly element to aid you, to block to the blows." Came Itachi's voice. Melody nodded. She concentrated on the air around her. Jaw clenched, she imagined the air around her tightening and coming closer around her, protectively. Itachi quirked a smile. "Well done, Melody. Now get out of your flashback bubble."_

_

* * *

_  
Melody smiled and then thought about reversing this process. And blowing the paint onto the walls. She thought deeply about the air around the liquid particles of the paint expanding and floating towards the walls. She gritted her teeth as she felt her chakra slowly drain. _Splash! Splash! _Continued splashes came from all around the apartment and the smell of paint wafted around her. A splatter of orange paint fell onto Mel, but she ignored it, trying to keep her focus. Then she smiled and opened her eyes.

"Phew! All done, you guys can come back in now!" She called, sitting down on the floor tiredly. Naruto blinked.

"Whoa, that's so cool, dattebayo!" The blonde haired ninja bounced up and down energentically, resulting in a few strange stares from the other ninjas. Naruto coughed awkwardly. "Er.. Let's just go to the BBQ place, dattebayo.." Mel nodded and shakily got up, smiling.

"You're welcome, nii-san." She said teasingly. Then she grinned at Muffin. "Shall we?" She said, offering her arm.

"Lead the way, my good English blooke." Muffin said in a fake English accent, playing along. They both exited the room, with a confused group of ninjas following close behind.

"Who're the English, dattebayo?" Naruto asked, puzzled. Kankuro shrugged.

"I dunno, but it sounds.. Strange. Ne.. I have the sudden urge to use the word 'bloody' for some reason.. And what's a _blooke_?" He asked, brow raised. Gaara rolled his eyes, before shaking his head,and sighing.

"Never mind.." He muttered. Melody was singing loudly and quite off key;

"We're off to see the Wizard! The wonderful wizard of barbecue!" She grinned behind her at the others. "Coming?" She asked them. Naruto blinked. "Wow, that reminds me of a certain movie, but I can't put my finger on it, dattebayo.." Gaara shook his head, rolling his eyes. "..." Sai shrugged, before walking in the opposite direction of the group.

"See you later Dickless, hag, airhead, witch.." Sai glanced at Kankuro's kitty clad outfit. "..Puss." When he said that, Kankuro grew an anime vein. Sai continued, though. "Rhino." Sai said, turning to Temari. She clenched her teeth. Finally, Sai turned to Gaara. Kankuro and Temari broke in nervous sweat. "..." Sai suddenly bowed formally. "Kazekage-sama." He finished finally, before walking away. This made everybody fall anime style. After a few moments, they continued walking. Kankuro grinned wolfishly.

"So, Gaara, what are you going to do your last night here?" He wiggled his eyebrows, making Gaara give him a cold glare. Temari jabbed him in the elbows, giving him a glare of his own.

"Melody didn't know that yet, you idiot!" She hissed. Kankuro blinked.

"Oops.. Sorry, heh, heh.." Kankuro said, laughing nervously. Mel turned and pouted.

"You're not staying longer?"She asked sadly. She walked over to Gaara and enveloped him in a hug. "I'm not letting go! Believe it!" She cried.

"Oi, that's my line!" Naruto exclaimed, but was ignored. Gaara smiled, and then scowled at the grins his siblings and friends were giving him. He sent them a look that said, 'Don't say anything if you know what's good for you.' They laughed nervously. "..." Gaara sighed, before smiling sheepishly.

"I'm sorry.. I had to go to Konoha because of the chunnin exams, and some international zoning laws. I have to return before a due date to pass it by with the council."He explained, even though half of the ninjas didn't understand half of what he was talking about. Naruto twitched.

"So.. Many.. Big.. Words.. Dattebayo.." Naruto muttered. But Mel understood. She pouted, face still shoved into Gaara's chest.

"Bhm mhts mht fhmar!"(Translation: But that's not fair!) She said into him. Naruto blinked.

"Eh, what did she say?" He asked Sakura, who shrugged in response. Temari frowned.

"You know what she said? That is was none of your business, that's what!"She scolded. She didn't want the runt to ruin the moment for her younger brother.. This relationship was the first time he showed any interest in girls, after all. Naruto blinked.

"Really? I thought it sounded like something different, dattebayo.." He said, scratching the back of his head. Kankuro sweat dropped. "..."Melody hugged Gaara tighter.

"I mhm mough cmh hma!" (Translation: I wish you could stay!)" She said, tears actually leaking into her eyes and staining his black shirt darker with moisture. She looked up, frowning. "Can't I come?" She asked. Naruto laughed nervously, before joking around with his light brown haired teenaged friend.

"Hey, what about me, dattebayo? What if Konoha is randomly attacked by a secret originzation while you're gone?" He asked dramatically, not realizing he just hit the bull's eye on that one. Muffin and Melody sweat dropped. "..." Gaara rolled his eyes.

"That'll never happen. Especially if you're around." Gaara muttered.

"What if I'm gone training?"Naruto said, going all dramatic again. Kankuro rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, sure, sure.." He said, snorting. Melody rolled her eyes. Sakura sighed, before whacking him over the head.

"Leave them alone, Naruto!" She exclaimed. Naruto grinned sheepishly, before rubbing the back of his head. "Whatever floats your boat, onee-chan!"He said quickly, before the pink haired ninja can bop him on the head again. Melody looked at Gaara for agreement but only found sadness and regret. She sighed.

"I take that as a no..." She said. Gaara nodded. Kankuro rubbed the back of his head, before speaking.

"Sadly, you were never truly registered as a Suna citizen and.. Um, well, the council doesn't really take a liking to you. Plus, Hokage Tsunade already registered you and Muffin as Leaf nin." Kankuro explained. Melody's eyes widened.

"She what?" Melody exlciamed. Naruto laughed nervously.

"It was the only way to keep you out of the bingo books, I swear, dattebayo!" He exclaimed. Muffin blinked.

"Why would somebody put us in the bingo books? We don't know anybody." Muffin said, pouting. Sakura shrugged.

"There were a bunch of reports coming in.. It was a bit strange. It also came with the same reports of a guy with dark hair and a buttbow.." She told the, shuddering. Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, that still gets me though, dattebayo! Who do I know that wears a buttbow on a daily basis?" Naruto wondered aloud, tapping his chin. He shrugged. "Oh well, beats me!" Muffin and Mel gave him dead panned expresions, but the ninjas didn't notice.

"Hey look, we're here!" Kankuro said, grinning. He was hungry, especially from all the work he had done.. Kankuro shuddered, remembering the blonde's closet and making a mental note to never offer to help clean out somebody's apartment again. Melody, who was still clinging to Gaara, smiled.

"Cool! I want chicken!" She exclaimed happily. Naruto nodded.

"I want ramen, dattebayo!" He said. All the other gave him dead panned expression. He blinked.

"Nani?" He asked, pouting.

"It's a BBQ grill.. There is no ramen." Kankuro said, dead toned. Naruto fell anime style. The group of seven walked into the building, the skies turning darker with each passing minute.

* * *

"**..Where did Pain and Konan go?"** Asked the dark side of Zetsu. Madara stood a few feet away, eye smiling, but didn't answer his question.

_"Perhaps they had another mission in Amegakure that they needed to do?" _The white side of Zetsu suggested, tilting his head. Madara chuckled, and shook his head.

"No, they're not in Amegakure." Madara answered. Zetsu raised a brow.

"**Then where?"** The darker side of Zetsu asked, frowning. Madara turned away from him, eye smiling.

"I sent them on an assignment.. To capture another container. It'll take a few days before they arrive there, though." Madara explained, but smirked when he saw Zetsu's confused expression.

"_But.. If Sasuke managed to capture the eight tails, then the only one left to capture is..."_ The white side of Zetsu was interrupted when Madara cut in, amused.

"..The nine tailed fox."

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** Thanks for reading, and we hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	30. Chapter 29

**Wow, this is WAY overdue... Enjoy anyways!**

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A hostess walked up to the group, and smiled politely. "Hello, my name is Hina, and I'll be your server today. How many of you are there? One.. Two.. Three.. Ah, seven? Come right this way." They followed the server to their table, before sitting down. "Your waiter will arrive shortly."She said, before walking away. Mel sat down with Gaara on one chair next to her and Muffin on the other side. She felt happy.

"It's so good to finally be back with everyone!" She said happily. Murmured agreements and nods followed her comment and then:

"Oh... Such a lovely face.. That of an angel!" Exclaimed an unfamillar voice. Kankuro blinked. _'What the crap?' __He_thought, sweat dropping, wondering who would say such corny things. Everyone glanced to see the waiter with anime hearts that were glued to Muffin. "What can I get you, sweet descended angel?" He asked Muffin. Muffin grinned goofily, completely oblivious to the waiter's behavior.

"Can I have a.. Fifty ounce bag of sugar?" She asked nonchalantly. Gaara raised a brow.

"Is that even on the menu?"He asked, rolling his eyes and quirking a smile. The waiter nodded vigorously at Muffin.

"Yes, yes! Of course! It'll be completely free of charge!"He exclaimed. Naruto grinned.

"Eh, can I have free food too, dattebayo?"Naruto asked, pouting. The waiter rolled his eyes.

"No." He said flatly. Naruto coughed awkwardly.

"But.. Uh.. She's..My.. Onee-chan! Yeah, my onee-chan, dattebayo!" Naruto said, nodding quickly. The waiter's sullen expression was suddenly replaced with sparkles and hearts.

"Of course!~" He exclaimed, nodding vigorously. Sakura sweat dropped from her seat. Muffin blinked.

"Huh? But I am not your onee-" She was interrupted by the hand that covered her mouth. Naruto laughed nervously.

"I forgot my ryu, dattebayo.. It's a good thing that this awesome, nice, cool guy showed up and offered us a free meal, right, _onee-chan_?" Naruto asked, before laughing nervously. Melody snickered. Sakura rolled her eyes at Naruto's behavior. Kankuro grinned wolfishly.

"So, does that mean we get free food too, right?" He asked. The waiter frowned.

"Are you related?"He asked. Kankuro shook his head.

"No.." Kankuro said, frowning. The waiter rolled his eyes.

"Then no, you can't." He told him, dead toned. Mel pouted.

"Eh! But she's my best friend!" She exclaimed. The waiter blinked. _'..Best friend?'_The waiter nodded vigorously.

"Okay! Descended angel, descended angel's best friend, and blondie, what else do you want to order?" He asked, anime hearts growing.

"Miso ramen, dattebayo!"Naruto said, grinning. Melody smirked.

"Chicken flavored ramen." She told him. The waiter quickly scribbed down the orders, before scurrying off. Kankuro's eyes widened.

"No! Wait! You didn't take our orde.. Damn, he walked away."Kankuro said, scowling. Gaara quirked a smile.

"I'm not hungry anyway.. I already ate." He explained. Kankuro pouted.

_"I_didn't!" He exclaimed. Mel blinked at Gaara.

"You did?" She asked, slightly surprised. Then she smirked. "Hm... Did you have sugar? Is that why your full? Eh, but you can never be full when sugar is concerned! Right Muffin?" Mel asked, grinning and giving her friend an over-dramatic nice guy pose. Muffin posed dramatically as well.

"Right!~"She said, pumping her fist in the air. Gaara rolled his eyes.

"No, I didn't have sugar.. I had a meeting with the damiyo a few hours ago, and they served food." He said, shrugging. Then he cringed. "That's okay.. I don't need sugar." He answered, coughing awkwardly. Muffin gasped dramatically.

"What do you mean you don't need sugar?" She exclaimed, before posing dramatically again. "Sugar is not fattening! It's healthy for you! And it helps-"

Muffin was cut off by the sound of metal clashing together. The group glanced at their waiter, who was sprawled on the floor,seeing stars. The platter of food was knocked over and ruined.

"Such.. A touching.. Speech.." The waiter said, having been crying anime tears, before fainting. Naruto sweat dropped.

"Well.. I know we're not directly to blame or anything, dattebayo, but.. I think we should go. You know, before they remake our food, fire the waiter, and then _really _make us pay for these meals, dattebayo!" Naruto said, before laughing nervously. Sakura rolled her eyes. Melody sweat dropped.

"Hai.. Let's beat it!" She said, before tip toeing to the door. Naruto followed suit with Muffin right behind. Gaara sweat dropped. "..." He shook his head and sighed. Temari frowned.

"You'd really believe they are brother and sisters..." She whispered to her kitty clad brother. Kankuro didn't hear her, though. He clutched his stomach, pouting.

"Still.. So.. Hungry.." He muttered. The group quickly walked out of the BBQ grill and onto the streets. "So.. What now, dattebayo?" Naruto asked. Sakura shrugged.

"Sorry Naruto, but it's getting late.. My parents are gonna kill me if I don't get home before twelve. See you later!" She said, before walking away. Kankuro sighed.

"Workin' all day.. No food.. This blows!" He complained, pouting. Temari rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry Kankuro, the hotel isn't much farther from here.. We can eat when we get there. I packed some stuff I can cook in a jiff." The moment Temari said this, the blood drained from Kankuro's face. _'Temari's.. Cooking.. Ugh.. So.. Many.. Mentally.. Scarring..Memories..' _Kankuro thought, shuddering. The group stopped infront of a tall building, the sign flashing the company's name: Konoha inn. _'How..Original..'_Melody thought, sweat dropping. Gaara quirked an awkward smile to Melody. Mel bloomed red.

"N-N-Nani?" She asked, trying to seem like she didn't know exactly what he was thinking. Naruto blinked and then grinned.

"SLEEP OVER, DATTEBAYO!" He shouted. Temari raised a brow.

"Do you really want a sleepover, or do you just want to get a free breakfast from the hotel in the morning?" She asked. Naruto laughed sheepishly, before jabbing Gaara's chest.

"Just.. To.. Uh.. Hang out with my friends, dattebayo! Heh, heh.."He answered, breaking in nervous sweat.

Gaara rolled his eyes, but just smiled. The group entered the hotel, and into the lobby. The hotel clerk at the front counter was a teenaged boy, who was flipping through his magazine and chewing loudly on his gum. Gaara cleared his throat. The hotel clerk looked up, before lazily throwing the magazine away from him and looking at them boredly... Until his eyes landed on Melody. He suddenly grinned.

"Oh, hey! How many rooms do you need? Would you like me to send any type of room service up to your rooms? Or anything else?" He asked, eyes on Melody. Gaara narrowed his eyes, his anime aura suddenly turning dark. Temari and Kankuro itched away, having grown used to this, while Naruto, Muffin, and Mel remained, oblivious. "You know what? If you want, the room service can be free of charge! Heh, heh, heh.. " He told her, before giving her some brochures. "How 'bout a free day at the local bath house? Or a discounted room? Or how 'bout.."While the hotel clerk kept on talking, Melody grinned. _'Now I see why Emosuke likes it so much...Heh, heh..'_ She thought as she stepped over to stand by Gaara.

"Yes, that would be nice," She agreed, smiling almost flirtatiously. The hotel clerk grinned, before typing away on his lap top.

"Okay, so how many roo-?" The teen was interrupted when Gaara cut in.

"We already have a room. I just wanted to request some more pillows and blankets." He said flatly, glaring narrowly at the teen. The hotel clerk scowled.

"Um.. For _you_? Do you want me to add that to your total bill? Or do you want to pay upfront?" He asked, brow raised. Melody went infront of Gaara, smiling at the hotel clerk.

"It's for me, actually." She clarified. The hotel clerk grinned, his focus on Melody.

"Oh, hey look, there's a.. Uh.. Special discount? Yes, special discount! One that gives you.. Um.. Those things free of char- Oof!" The hotel clerk was shoved away by an older looking man, who looked slightly annoyed. He wore a similar uniform as the hotel clerk's, except slightly different.

"Ryuu, stop flirting with the female customers!" He exclaimed, growing an anime vein. He turned to the group with a pleasant smile. "Uh.. I apologize, my nephew has a.. Um, habit.. That seems to get him into trouble." He said, before shooting a glare at him. He smiled politely at Gaara, before breaking in nervous sweat. He knew that this was an important customer.. "Um.. The extra pillows and blankets are free of charge for your inconvenience. It'll be sent to your room shortly. Hope you have a nice stay!" He said quickly. Kankuro and Temari shrugged, before the group walked in the direction of the stairs. Gaara was fuming, though. Naruto laughed nervously.

"At least we got the pillows and blankets for free anyway, dattebayo.."Melody snickered and nudged Muffin. "I can't blame Emosuke now. It really cushion's your ego.." She joked, grinning. Muffin nodded.

"Yeah! Well, that explains why he's so arrogant.." She said, shrugging. Kankuro raised a brow.

"Do you even know what that word means?"He asked, snorting. Naruto blinked.

"Who's Emosuke, dattebayo?"He asked, confused. Muffin shook her head.

"Nope! But it's a big word, and makes me feel smart." She told him, nodding happily. Kankuro gave her a dead panned expression, before sweat dropping. The group stopped infront of a small, wooden door. **'235' **read on the door. Gaara nodded to the group.

"This is it." He told them, before producing a key card from his sleeve and sliding it through the hole. When the door opened, Naruto, Muffin, and Melody's jaws dropped in anime style.:

"Hot damn! This is like the Hilton!" Mel explained looking at all the expensive things with stars in her eyes. _'It's like my boyfriend lives in palaces!' _She was thinking.

"Whoa! You live in such a pimp pad!" Muffin said, eyes wide. Everybody went quiet, before turning to stare at her, brows raised.

"Do you even know what a pimp pad is?"Kankuro asked, brow raised. Muffin blinked.

"You mean the place where you get your pimp hats from? Like, duh! It's common sense!" Every body sweat dropped, before entering the room. Naruto walked over to the fridge, before opening it. His eyes widened.

"Whoa! So much food, dattebayo!" He exclaimed. Then he blinked. "Wait.. There's no ramen in here, dattebayo!" He whined, pouting. Suddenly, a shadow towered over the blonde. Naruto blinked, before looking up to see Kankuro, his eyes speaking murder.

"Step. Away. From. My. Mini. Fridge." He said, his teeth clenching. Suddenly, the fridge door slammed closed, and a gigantic, anime styled lock appeared before them. Temari towered over them, smirking. She shook her index finger, her other hand holding the made a look. "Some people have been craving food that Temari hasn't cooked..." she muttered.

Gaara chuckled, while Temari sent a glare towards them. Muffin dropped her things beside a small sofa, before crashing onto it. After a few minutes, she fell asleep. Kankuro suddenly smirked.

"Hm.. You know, if we had a feather and some whipped cream, we could.."Kankuro started to say, smirking.

"No." Gaara said flatly. It was an old sleep over prank that Kankuro had an uncanny habit of doing. Kankuro sighed.

"You're no fun.." He muttered, pouting, before going under the covers of his own bed. Temari rolled her eyes, before laying down on the reclining chair beside the two double beds. Naruto pouted.

"Oi, where am I gonna sleep, dattebayo?"He asked, pouting. Gaara looked at the floor, remaining quiet. "..." Naruto blinked. "Eh? Oi, I'm not sleeping on the floor!"He exclaimed, snickered and snuck a look at Gaara. "Gawa-kun... Can I pull a sleep prank on Kitty-san?" She asked. Her eyes glittered very mischeviously . "For payback for the camera picture of us kissing." She said. Naruto's eyes widened, via anime style.

"Eh, you kissed?" He exclaimed.. They ignored him.

Gaara smirked.

"Sure."He said simply. Naruto suddenly grinned.

"Ooh! Ooh! Can I help, dattebayo? I have alot of experience in pranks, you know.." Naruto said, nodding. Gaara rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, whatever." Gaara said, smiling. Naruto pouted.

"Oi, it's true! It's just the whole 'not-getting-caught' part of the prank I always seem to mess up on, dattebayo.." He said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Hey, it's me, Ry.. I mean, uh, room service! I got those pillows and blankets you ordered." Said a voice from behind the door. Gaara's aura suddenly turned dark, as he twitched. Naruto shrugged, before opening the door. Ryuu stood there, holding a few pillows and blankets, grinning. He waved at Melody, making Gaara grow annoyed. _'Wait..' _Suddenly, an anime light bulb lit up above the kazekage's head. He smirked.

"Hey, Ryuu.. What time are you leaving?" He asked. Ryuu blinked, before turning to Melody. "Actually, I live here.. So, if you need _anything_, don't hesitate to call the lobby." He said, grinning at Melody. This made Gaara scowl. _'I can't slam the door in his face.. That would be rude.. But who..? Oh!' _Gaara narrowed his eyes on Naruto, smirking. Naruto broke in nervous sweat. _'Why is Gaara staring at me like that?' _He thought. He glanced at Ryuu, and then to Melody. He blinked. _''Oh, dattebayo..' _He laughed nervously, before trying to look inconpicious.

"Uh.. Um.. Oh look at the time, dattebayo! Thanks for the stuff, bye!" Naruto said, ushering Ryuu out. He quickly slammed the door, before sighing in relief. '_Gaara creeps me out sometimes, dattebayo..' _Naruto turned back to the pile of blankets and pillows, sighing. As Naruto was busy making a makeshift bed on the floor with said pillows and blankets, Gaara tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You know what? I know someone else who we can.. Prank.. After Kankuro."Mel grinned.

"Aw, Gaara-kun, leave the poor flirt alone." She said, putting her arms around his waist. But her expression didn't really make her words believeable. She was grinning evilly, almost smirking.

Gaara rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, face red.

"But.." He started to say, before sighing. "Fine.." He mumbled. His eyes narrowed on the door, slightly annoyed. 'I'll get him back some other way..' Gaara thought, scowling. Naruto stepped away from his makeshift bed, before grinning.

"There! It's perfect, dattebayo!" He exclaimed, with anime styled sparkles in his eyes. The blankets were all mixed up with each other, with the pillows buried underneath. It didn't look sleep-able. Gaara looked dead panned.

"Um.. Yeah, totally." Gaara muttered. Naruto turned to Melody, scratching the back of his neck.

"So, whatcha gonna do to kitty-clad, dattebayo?" He asked, grinning.

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**lol, sorry it's been a while. Me and jacki have been busy with this thing called life. But no worries! Mel and Muffin havn't let us forget about this story! **

**Update soon, promise!**


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